The Girl Who Won Draco's Heart
by lemonskittle
Summary: Ginny Weasley is her name. The last in her family, the last to be noticed, and the last to be recognized, but the first to win Draco Malfoy’s heart. [complete]
1. Game to Win His Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not even lovely Draco.  
  
Summary: Ginny Weasley is her name. The last in her family, the last to be noticed, and the last to be recognized, but the first to win Draco Malfoy's heart.  
  
A\N: I hope you guys enjoy this short story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. It won't be too long; maybe the most is four chapters, if not less. I must warn you though, I'm just going to get straight to the point. Everything that happens in this story will all happen in about a week, if not less. Read it and don't forget to review.  
  
The Girl Who Won Draco's Heart  
  
Chapter One  
  
It was a rainy day, a gray rainy day in the middle of November and every student at Hogwarts was cooped inside. Students swarmed in their common rooms, some studied in the library, and a few were even caught hanging around in the darkness of the corridors.  
  
The day was a Saturday, a day when every student should be outside, enjoying their day off. But the rain kept them from leaving. Dumbledore even had some professors guarding the way out so as not to let students get out. Madam Pomfrey had been complaining nonstop about the students who come into the Hospital Wing with colds from the storm.  
  
Quietly, a young sixth year with silky wavy red hair walked down the corridor, headed for the infirmary. Her brother was in there due to the fever he had after Quidditch practice yesterday in the fierce wind.  
  
They spent almost two hours in the cold, practicing but to no avail. They had a new chaser, a boy in his second year. He was the best out of the five who tried out, but he wasn't very good at catching, though his aim was true. She was watching them at first, but the cold had become so unbearable that she and Hermione left for the comfort and warmth of their common room.  
  
Her black shoes made no sound against the stones, but her robe did. It was her brother's old robes and they trailed along the floor, making an irritating rustling noise. She tried to pick it up, but she couldn't without losing her grip on the books in her arms.  
  
"Is janitorial another way to earn money?" a cold voice drawled from within the darkness, followed by two nasty chortle.  
  
She reluctantly turned, annoyed by the interruptions. Draco Malfoy stepped from within the shadows, trailed by Crabbe and Goyle, a smirk playing against his flawless face. A torch off the wall threw colors on his head, showing off his beautiful blonde hair. His gray eye glistened with two distinct figures of her and the expression that his face gave off was eerie.  
  
Ginny didn't say anything; she didn't want to provoke them into doing anything. Her eyes were trained on the floor right by her foot and she cradled her books against her chest as though for dear life.  
  
"Cats got your tongue, Weasel?" he asked her, stepping as close to her as he could so as to scare her, but not so close that they were almost touching.  
  
Still, she stared at her foot like she's suddenly found something interesting there and concentrated on it with everything she had. No fear penetrated her the way it used to, but she wasn't very relaxed either.  
  
Whatever was on Malfoy's face didn't need her to look to see because she heard it in his voice. Amusement. "On your way to see that red-face brother of yours?" he taunted her, but to no benefit. "Tell me, is there any chance that he has suddenly died over night?"  
  
She looked up at him and one of her brows slightly rose. Crabbe and Goyle's chuckle drifted down the hall, but nothing provoked Ginny's anger. Was she suddenly becoming the calm collected Ginny she had always wanted to be? She hoped so.  
  
Without saying a word, she walked right past them in the direction that she had been going. Earlier, her mum sent her an owl, asking that she go tell Ron how much her mum missed him and wished him a get well soon. That was why she was headed this way, but thanks to Malfoy's interruption, she was delayed. She had also been hoping of a chance to go into her dorm and watch the rain outside, now, she might not get that chance.  
  
Someone grabbed her by her neck and pulled her against his chest. She could feel the beating of his heart and his breath, but she didn't quite know who it was. A hand yanked at her hair, pulling so hard that her head was being pulled backwards along with it. His head was mere inches from her ears and he whispered, "don't ever walk away when he's talking to you," Blaise Zabini whispered dangerously.  
  
Where had he come from? She didn't see him there nor had she heard him. Panic drove through her and she tried to pull away, but that only strained his hold on her hair. His arm around her neck tightened somewhat too, blocking air from getting into her lungs.  
  
Then the pain was over. She turned around to investigate what had happened, surprised to find that Draco had Blaise in a death grip with his arms held tightly against his back. She heard him whisper, "don't ever touch her."  
  
Adrenaline rushed through her body and she fled. She didn't care about the book in her arms anymore, she only cared about her life and she left them behind. Maybe there was time to pick them up later. Or perhaps someone would find it eventually and bring it to her.  
  
She locked herself in a stall in the third floor girl's bathroom. Ginny buried her head in her arms and gently wept, forgetting that Moaning Myrtle haunted the bathroom. Why was she crying? Blaise didn't even do anything to her, at least not anything too bad.  
  
But he had, she found herself thinking. He did because there was something about him that frightened her. She caught him staring at her earlier in the Great Hall and that all on its own sent a chill down her spine. She felt the same way she did five years ago when Tom Riddle had taken control of her. It was something dreadful, something so awful that she didn't want to feel it again.  
  
"Oh, you're in here again," Moaning Myrtle said, her translucent head sticking in through the door of the stall. "You're always in here."  
  
Ginny raised her head momentarily to glare at the ghost before burying it back in her arms. Why couldn't Moaning Myrtle just go away and leave her in peace? "Don't you have anything better to do than come in here and bother me?" she shot at the face peering in.  
  
Myrtle frowned at her, "tetchy," she said. "I wouldn't even be talking to you if I hadn't been asked to." She informed Ginny matter-of-factly. "Well, I wasn't asked to talk to you, but I was requested to give you something."  
  
She kept her head bury, but felt the change in the ambiance. Nearby, a window was opened and Ginny could hear the soft and soothing sound of steady rain. She wished she could be out there, instead of here.  
  
Moaning Myrtle dropped a stack of something by Ginny's foot and left the stall to roam above in the ceiling. Ginny hesitantly lifted her head up to see and a gasp escaped her throat. There by her foot were her books.  
  
Ginny picked them up and unlocked the stall. She walked towards Myrtle and held the books up for her to see. "Where did you get these?"  
  
Myrtle shrugged, standing upright and walking on air as though she was walking on ground. "I don't know, a boy just gave it to me. I was floating in the hallway, on my way back from talking to Nearly Headless Nick and he was standing out there. Said for me to give it to you."  
  
A frown formed on her face and she looked at the book again as if to make sure they were hers. But how could it be possible? She dropped them when she ran away like she a maniac. "What did he look like, the boy who told you to give me the books."  
  
Her head cocked to the side as if to think. It took a moment before Moaning Myrtle's face brightened into a smile. "He was very handsome I must say."  
  
Ginny waited for more, she had expected more, but Myrtle said no more. She floated above aimlessly, her hands locked behind her back. Her face was somewhat dreamy and Ginny wondered what was floating through the ghost's mind. When she realized that Ginny was still waiting, she asked a bit puzzled, "what?"  
  
"Aren't you going to give me a description?" she asked.  
  
Moaning Myrtle shrugged. "Don't think I remember much about how he looked."  
  
"Well didn't you see what house he was from or the color of his hair?" Ginny asked. Maybe Harry brought it because he hadn't come up from the Great Hall yet, but that was just a lie in her head to deny her the truth of who she really thought brought it.  
  
A pause filled the lavatory for a while, the only sound being the rain outside. Ginny walked over to the window and looked outside longingly, watching the raindrops breaking the smoothness of the lake and causing ripple.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like ages, Myrtle said, "ah yes, I remember. He had hair the color of yellow. Or no, I suspect it's yellow, but it didn't look very yellow."  
  
"Almost like it was silver right?" Ginny put in helpfully.  
  
Moaning Myrtle nodded and disappeared into her cubicle. When Ginny left, she heard the ghost humming to herself.  
  
* * *  
  
Ron was sitting in his bed, eating a chocolate frog when Ginny went into the Hospital Wing. Other than a closed curtain in the far corner, Ron was the only patient. "Hey," she told him, hoping any hint of her distress earlier was gone. "Where's Harry and Hermione?"  
  
He shrugged, popping the last of his chocolate frog into his mouth. "They were here earlier, but Hermione had to finish homework and Harry had to leave because he had detention with Snape."  
  
"Oh, it's still going on?" she asked him.  
  
Ron nodded as his answer. Five days ago, Harry's anger exploded in Potions and he ended up with a month of detention. She wasn't in there, but the story has been all over the world and back.  
  
"Mum wrote to wish you a get well," she told him, seating herself on his bed. "She also said to tell you that she missed you."  
  
He nodded again, this time opening a pack of Bertie Bott's every flavor beans. After stuffing a handful of it into his mouth, he said, "Is she planning on sending me a box of cookies as well?"  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes. "You're always thinking about food aren't you? Ron, if you'd take the time to notice, you'd realize how much there is in the world around you."  
  
"Like what?" he asked, oblivious to the look that he was being given. Could he be any hard headed than he already was?  
  
Someone else groaned from within the Hospital Wing and Ginny jumped, looking in the way of the closed curtains. Ron didn't seemed one bit bothered by it and Ginny asked, "Who's that?"  
  
Ron shrugged, "some bloke that they brought in early this morning. I heard they found him in the corridors."  
  
She didn't hear anything else because she was already making her way towards the closed curtains. She felt her brother's gaze on her, but the pull that forced her forward was too strong, she had to see who was behind it and what happened.  
  
The paintings seemed as curious as she was too because although they tried to pretend they were doing something else, their eyes followed her all the way to the white curtains. Ginny heard some of them whispering, but she didn't catch any of it.  
  
Her petite hands slowly drifted to open the drapes. Although she knew it was safe, her hands shook with fright.  
  
Anticipation settled in and a pounding began to start in her head. The veil was almost lift, she could almost see who laid in the bed, but Ron spoke and she jumped half-way into the air.  
  
"Don't," he said. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Madam Pomfrey said he's a bloody pulp. It'll give you nightmares, Gin. Remember how much blood use to scare you?"  
  
An image of blood ran through her mind and she cringed back, dropping the curtains. "It still does," she told him, walking away.  
  
Although she didn't know why, she had always been afraid of blood. Just the sight of one tiny pinprick was enough to give her nightmares. Her mum sent her to counseling for two years, but it didn't do any good. They never figured out what was wrong with her.  
  
"Ron, did she say anything about what happened to him?" she asked her brother, taking a seat by his side again.  
  
He shrugged, the habit becoming annoying. "No, but when they thought I was asleep, I heard them say that it looks like someone beat the life out of him. I didn't catch a glimpse of him, but I can tell you that from the looks of the blood on the sheets they carried out hours ago, he looks like he's wounded badly."  
  
Ginny nodded and leaned in to hug her brother. "I'll return tomorrow, okay? Maybe by then mum would have sent you your get well cookies," she said.  
  
Ron grinned, but it was somewhat forced. He glanced nervously in the direction of the closed drapes, thinking that Ginny hadn't seen that countenance, but she did and it scared her. It was one of pure terror.  
  
* * *  
  
In the Gryffindor common room, Ginny wasn't surprised when she came across Hermione working on her homework for muggle study. She was writing a twelve inch essay on electricity and how it worked. It was only for extra credit.  
  
The fire still burned warmly when Ginny joined her older friend on the couch. The sun was still up and there was light. Rain still pelted the window and Ginny still wanted to be out there, but she couldn't.  
  
"Hi," Hermione said, scooting over to make room for Ginny. "Did you just come in from seeing Ron?"  
  
Ginny nodded as her answer, her eyes on the window. "Did you see that closed curtain in the corner?"  
  
Hermione had to think about it before nodding her head. "Yeah, I did. Why?"  
  
"Do you know what happened?" she asked. Of course Hermione wouldn't know what happened, but it was worth asking. She wanted to know, she had to know. Whatever happened to whoever was laying behind the drapes wasn't her business, but she felt the need to understand. She felt the need to know what happened because something was telling her to do so. Like something was asking maybe even begging her to find out what happened.  
  
As expected, the older girl shook her head, writing something down on her parchment. "No, but Ron did say that someone was trying to beat him up, maybe even kill him. He said professors expect someone was trying to commit murder, but didn't get the chance to because someone walked in on them."  
  
One of Ginny's eyebrows delicately rose. Now that was something interesting. Ron hadn't mentioned that to her. "Is there anything else? I mean do they know who tried to?"  
  
Hermione shrugged, "no. They don't know anything; only that Malfoy was the one who brought the boy into the Hospital Wing. He claimed that he found the boy before the perpetrator was able to do too much harms, but he didn't see the person's face. I'd believe Peeves before I believe his story."  
  
Ginny's mind unconsciously wondered back to Draco. Ever since she left the girl's bathroom, she wouldn't let herself think of him, but now, her mind had to think of him or it'll go mad. What he did, what he had done to help her had been unexpected.  
  
Why had he done it? Why had he brought her the books? Was it possible that he cared? She didn't know. Maybe he did, or maybe he was just playing a game with her. Not just any game, but a game with her heart.  
  
"Did they say who the person was?" she asked, pulling herself out of her thoughts.  
  
Hermione chewed her lips the way she did when she was nervous. She kept her eyes on the fireplace until the door to the common room opened. Two first years walked by them without looking at them and went up to their dorms before Hermione finally said, although hesitantly. "Colin Creevey."  
  
Ginny couldn't breathe, it was like she forgot how to. Her heart pounded madly and she had to clutch a finger to it to steady it enough to stand up. Her legs were like jell-o. They weren't able to support her and she almost fell down until someone caught her.  
  
She looked up to find intense green eyes staring at her worriedly, searching her eyes for something if not anything. "You okay?" he asked her.  
  
A blush rose into her cheeks and she tried hard to level her skin color out. A nod was all she could give him as her answer because her mouth was a desert.  
  
"Thanks," she muttered, still in Harry's strong but gentle grip.  
  
"He'll be okay," Hermione put in just to be helpful. "I shouldn't have told you, but I felt you had to know."  
  
Harry looked at Hermione incredulously and spoke as if Ginny hadn't been standing right there. "You told her? Hermione, we had an agreement that we wouldn't say anything, not until we're sure."  
  
"She had the right to know," Hermione said, defending herself. "He's her boyfriend for Merlin's sake."  
  
"Ex," Ginny said quietly, maybe just to make her presence known.  
  
Hermione nodded and Harry looked away, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Ron isn't going to like this one bit."  
  
Ginny looked from one to the other, trying to decide whether she should say it or not. Ron didn't control her life, her parents didn't control her life, and neither did Hermione or Harry. She controlled it, she was responsible for herself and she didn't need anyone to protect her. She was a big girl, she could take these news.  
  
"She's got enough on her mind after what happened in her first year, she doesn't need another thing to worry about," Harry was saying, barely holding his anger in.  
  
Hermione was standing up now, forgetting about her homework. "But she's grown up, Harry. She's got to do one thing or another sooner or later."  
  
Ginny heard Hermione say something else, but she didn't wait to listen to it. She didn't need this, not today. They called to her, but she ignored them, heading up into her dorm to grab her cloak and a broom. She was flying out of her window whether she was allowed to or not.  
  
* * *  
  
Rain pelted on her head and wind tossed her hair, but she didn't care. She rode straight through the rain, heading in no particular direction, just wanting to get away. Anywhere would be good, it'll be better than there.  
  
Finally, she came upon the other side of the lake, far from Hogwarts and she stopped. Her broom smoothly hovered above the ground and she got off, shouldering it immediately. Why hadn't she come here before? It was so peaceful, so quiet without the Dream team.  
  
Rain still fell on her, perhaps even harder this time, but she didn't mind. She loved the rain. She loved the way it hit the lake's surface, breaking the perfect and smoothness of it. She loved the way its ripple grew bigger and bigger as it went farther.  
  
It only goes to show that nothing is perfect, especially not life. It could only be so good for so long. There's an end to everything, everything.  
  
Ginny didn't bother to search for shelter under trees. Water dripped off the end of her hair, slid into her eyes, and some even slid from within, wetting her cheeks worse than it already was. It wasn't until some went into her mouth and she tasted the saltiness that she realized she was crying.  
  
"So the lion rebels," a cold, cruel voice said, sounding only too familiar. "Never thought I'd ever see the day when it would happen."  
  
Surprise forced Ginny to jump, and it only amused him more. "Ah, not only a rebellious lion but a jumpy one too," he said, his mouth curling up in the corners. "Who would have thought?"  
  
Ginny swallowed her surprise and faced the water, hoping he would mistake the redness of her eyes for result of the wind and her tears for the rain. Hogwarts looked so peaceful, so calm without her in it. Maybe she was never meant to be in there in the first place. Maybe she wasn't meant to do anything but watch from a distance.  
  
"Is the rain an excuse for your tears and the rain for the redness of your eyes?" he asked suddenly, his voice filled with concern and yet nothing at all. "Is that why you fancy rainfall so much?"  
  
The question caught Ginny by surprise. Was it true? Was the only reason she liked the rain is because it gave her an excuse for crying? It did run down her face, making it seem like the tears down her face were just rain.  
  
Ginny shrugged, holding herself. Now that Malfoy mentioned it, maybe she didn't fancy the rain that much.  
  
"Merlin's Beard, don't tell me you're still crying over what happened in the hallway," he said, thinking her tears were caused by that. "Blaise is like that, he's a prat who doesn't think about what his actions would do. Don't mind him."  
  
She turned to look at him and something in her heart changed about him. For that moment, he didn't look like the Draco Malfoy who had tortured her ever since her first year. He didn't look like the Draco Malfoy who taunted her about Tom Riddle and the incident back when she first came. Right now, right there and then, he wasn't that, he was just Draco. Draco who had a heart.  
  
"I don't get it," she told him truthfully, her voice quivering with weakness. "Why did you hold him back? Why did you bring me my books?"  
  
Draco scoffed, trying to hide that part of him that she caught a glimpse of. "Just because I'm a Malfoy doesn't mean I don't respect women," he said, leaning against a tree trunk, his arms and ankles crossed. "Blaise had no right to grab you from behind like that. No women should ever be treated like that."  
  
Water dripped down the side of his face, making him look extremely sexy. His hair was drenched, along with his clothes and she saw right through them. If it weren't for his robes, she would have seen right through and a blush rose on her cheeks.  
  
A smirk grew on Draco's face and he looked her over too. "We're alone out here, Weasley," he whispered, stepping towards her. "We're two young teenagers with raging hormones, in wet clothes and all alone. Can we really trust ourselves?"  
  
He raised a hand and traced it down the side of her face, his lips mere inches from her. He ran it down her neck, back up to her ears and he whispered, "can you trust yourself?"  
  
Ginny pushed him back, but he didn't budge, didn't even lose his balance. Though she on the other hand almost fell into the water. With a swift movement of his hands, he had her by the arms and the only thing keeping her from falling in was him. He caught her.  
  
"How does it feel, Weasley, to put your everything into someone else? To put your trust into me? I am the only thing keeping you from falling in there. Aren't you afraid that I'll purposefully let go?" he asked, his lips curling up and not one line of wrinkle showed on his flawless face.  
  
"Let go," she demanded of him dangerously, glaring at him.  
  
His eyebrows rose and his teeth showed. The rain has lessened, but not enough. It kept dripping into her eyes and she had to blink them out. Draco's arm loosed around her arm and he asked her, "are you sure you want me to let you go? How do you know I won't just let you go because I want to? Because I'm, well, me."  
  
Ginny didn't know why, she didn't understand what was happening to her. Maybe it's what happens when one is hurt, the pain caused by the people they love, this is the only way the pain will go away. To trust the enemy. Because right now, with her in his arms and he being the only thing preventing her from falling, she trusted him. She trusted that he wouldn't let her go, even if she asked. Because he's, well, him.  
  
"You won't let me go," she told him, her confidence somewhat bigger than it had been earlier. "Even if you want to, you won't be able to."  
  
"Yeah?" he challenged her, loosening his hands around her arm little by little. "How can you be so sure?"  
  
She grinned at him, the first true grin ever since forever. "Oh, I'm sure alright. Just because you're a Malfoy doesn't mean you don't respect women."  
  
The grin had surprised Draco and his cool, calm face fell but it only took him seconds to recover it. He let her arm go, but she trusted him so much that the grin never left her face, even though the knowledge that maybe she might really plunge into water was with her.  
  
What happened next happened so quickly, Ginny wasn't very sure of. All she remembered was the water only centimeters from her when he caught her by her arm again and pulled her up, a smirk on his face. "You're right, just because I'm a Malfoy doesn't mean I don't respect women."  
  
For the first time, Ginny felt truly comfortable with Draco's presence around her. She picked up her broom again and looked up into the sky, letting rain fall onto her face. She felt him staring at her, but she kept her eyes closed, a smile on her face. "Have you ever been in love?" she asked him.  
  
There was silence except for the rain. For a second, Ginny thought Draco had left and she opened her eyes, but he was still there, staring out across the street. He looked so lonely, she didn't know what to say.  
  
"I have to get going," he said, positioning himself on his broom. "You better too, Weasel. Don't want you getting sick like your brother."  
  
Ginny stared after him after he flew away and she couldn't quite understand him. It was like he had two personalities. He had accepted her there, but now, he won't even acknowledge her as someone he's helped. And that question about love. Why couldn't he answer it, why wouldn't he? Then something came to her that she never thought about before.  
  
Draco Malfoy has never been in love.  
  
And an idea began to form in her head, one she didn't believe she could accomplish but would at least try. She would play a game of her own and the price would be his heart.  
  
A\N: So, did you guys like it? Second chapter is bound to come out soon. Don't forget to review just down there. Thanks. 


	2. Road to Winning His Heart

Disclaimer: Same as the first chapter.  
  
A\N: Wow, I'm impressed with the number of reviews. Thank you all so much. Gosh, you guys are all lovely reviewers. I'm sorry if I'm kind of taking this two fast, but I'm trying to fit a ten chapter story into just four chapters. Technically, if I do a lot of parts and describe every little thing that happens, it'll go up to ten, but I'm just writing down the main parts. Also, it wasn't mentioned in any reviews but when my sister read it, for some reason, she had an idea that at the end, Ginny was playing game with Draco's heart. If any of you thought it, that's not it. When I said she would play a game of her own and the price would be his heart, she isn't going to hurt him, never. I'll never do it, I can't. Anyway, that's all basically. Read this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it too. Bai.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
The next day wasn't too different from the previous one. Gray clouds still hung over the sky, clouding every student's heart like they would never see another day of sunlight. Ginny woke up with a cough and stuffy nose, her head burning with a high fever. She got out of bed and swayed before she steadied herself and made her way into the restroom.  
  
She was deathly pale in the mirror, her long red hair flat against her back. She ran water over her face to wash off the sleep in her eyes and looked back up to look at herself, almost disgusted. She was plain with boring brown eyes unlike Harry's emerald green ones. Freckles dotted the bridge of her nose, giving her a childish look and regular thin lips. The only thing she liked about herself was her hair and even that wasn't looking so good today.  
  
Ginny huffed and left the lavatory, heading downstairs. She didn't change out of her pajamas, she didn't feel like it. Before stepping down the stairs, she held onto the banister to keep herself from falling and forced her eyes to cooperate. Everything was a blur to her, she wasn't sure she could make it downstairs without fainting.  
  
Her head pounded like a drum went off and she held her head together as though if she let go, it would come apart. Harry saw her from where he sat on the sofa and made his way over, staring at her with concern. He helped her over to the couch and helped her sit, taking a seat himself.  
  
No one else was up. Who would be at seven o'clock in the morning on a Sunday? Well, maybe except for her and Harry. The fire burned steadily, warming Ginny up. She hugged herself for more warmth and leaned on Harry's shoulder, closing her eyes.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked her, tensing at her boldness.  
  
She shook her head and sighed, finally at peace. She breathed in Harry's intoxicating smell of shampoo and nuzzled deeper onto his shoulder. She wanted to stay there for eternity.  
  
A hand brushed up to her forehead and Harry jumped up, letting out a yelp. He stared at her, almost accusingly. "You're burning up," he told her, staring at her as if trying to take it all in. "You need to go see Madam Pomfrey."  
  
Ginny shook her head and leaned back on the sofa so as to cease the throbbing pain in her head. She closed her eyes and took slow deep breaths to ease the pain. "Don't worry about it," she muttered. "It'll past soon enough."  
  
But Harry went against her and pulled her up, making the pain in her head throb even more. She held onto him and he dragged her towards the portrait hole, their destination the Hospital Wing.  
  
He had his arm around her waist and she clung onto his neck, her eyes still closed. A picture of a beat-up Colin came to her mind and she shivered. Harry tugged her closer so as to war her, thinking the fever was causing the tremble. "Where did you go yesterday?" he asked, leading her towards the flight of staircases. "You just ran off in the middle of our conversation."  
  
She scoffed, keeping her eyes closed. The pain in her head was only getting worse. "You mean the conversation between you and Hermione," she insisted. "We weren't having a conversation. You two spoke as if I wasn't even standing there."  
  
Harry sighed, "careful," he told her, helping her down the staircases. "Look, I'm sorry about that. It's just that, well, what happened to Colin is awful and we weren't sure you were ready to hear about it. He was beaten up pretty badly."  
  
Ginny enjoyed the comforts of Harry's arms and clung onto his neck for as long as she could. A part of her wished this moment would never end, but the logical part of her told her that he would never remember this after all was over it. "But I deserve to know the truth," she told him, feeling the ends of his dark hair tickle her forehead. "I deserve to know what happened to him even though he is my ex."  
  
They reached the landing that would take them to the Hospital Wing and Harry slowly pushed the door open that would lead them into the corridors. As soon as they were through, a feeling of being watched washed over Ginny and she tensed, soon followed by Harry. "What was that?" she asked him.  
  
"I don't know," Harry said calmly, stopping to look behind them. When nothing came out, they continued on. "Anyway, you didn't fly out of the window did you?" he asked her suspiciously, his green eyes narrowed. She could see it even when her eyes were closed. "You know it's against Hogwart's rules."  
  
Ginny laughed bitterly, opening her eyes only to be hit by a wave of throb. She closed her them again, "rules?" she asked sourly. "What rules? You never followed them yourself."  
  
"Yes," Harry admitted. They were only yards from the Hospital Wing now. "True, but all those rules I broke almost got me expelled, more than once," he said.  
  
Her legs grew weak and she stumbled. Harry picked her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way. Ginny didn't dare open her eyes. Her cheeks were flamed with colors identical to her hair.  
  
Harry continued to speak as if he didn't see her flamed cheeks. "I don't want you getting expelled the year before your last year," he said truthfully. "It won't do you any good."  
  
He pushed the door into the Hospital Wing open with his legs and carried her in. Only then did the strange sensation of being watched disappear and she sighed with relief. Harry carried her over to a bed, one near Ron's and settled her in. Ron was still asleep, his mouth hanging open slightly. Drool was coming from inside and he kept talking.  
  
Harry grinned at her and pulled the covers over her. "You won't tell him will you?' she asked him ever so softly. "You won't tell Ron what I did will you?"  
  
She opened her eyes and Harry shook his head, walking in the direction of Madam Pomfrey's office. He opened her door and peeked in. "I need your help," Ginny heard him tell Madam Pomfrey. "It's another case of the cold."  
  
Ginny cringed when she heard the angry muttering of the nurse and almost wished she had never gone out into the rain. But another part was thankful because she has a mission to accomplish now.  
  
"What were you doing out in the cold?" Madam Pomfrey asked, bringing over a steaming cup.  
  
Ginny took it and glanced inside, almost reluctant to drink the thick liquid. "What is this?" she asked the older woman but looking past her shoulder to give Harry a silent plea.  
  
He grinned slyly at her and waved good-bye before leaving. Ginny shot him a glare of daggers which pierced him directly in the back and she downed the cup of thick liquid never once breathing in the scent. "Ugh, this is so gross."  
  
Madam Pomfrey nodded, taking the cup away. "Medicine isn't supposed to taste good," she said and turned to Ron's bed. She shook him hard until he woke up and practically yelled into his ears, "you're all well, Mr. Weasley. You can have a visit with your sister and then leave."  
  
She turned and walked away, glancing momentarily in the direction of the closed curtains. That was Madam Pomfrey, a woman of control. Ginny turned to her brother who was getting out of bed, still rubbing his eyes. When his vision was focused, he stared at her and something exploded inside of him.  
  
"Ginny!" he exclaimed almost too loud. "What are you doing in here?"  
  
She shrugged almost shyly and looked away to avoid eye contact. What would she tell him? She couldn't say she just got sick out of nowhere, or could she? "Nothing," she told him pathetically.  
  
Ron didn't buy it even for a second. His eyes narrowed suspiciously the way Harry's did earlier and he accused her. "You went outside didn't you?"  
  
"N-no," she stuttered, avoiding eye contact. "I-I didn't go outside. I-I got sick f-from, er, well, er, you." She finished the last word too quickly and Ron's suspicion grew, but her explanation was logical. He nodded, handing her the box of tissue that had been his only last night.  
  
"You'll need this," he told her. "I'll be owling mum about it. I'll return to visit you later okay?"  
  
She nodded and then he disappeared out the door. Ginny sighed and relaxed on her bed, putting a hand to her forehead. It was burning like the flames in the hearth.  
  
Madam Pomfrey returned with extra blankets for her. She took the opportunity to ask what has been in her head ever since yesterday, "is he going to be okay?" She nodded her head in the direction of Collin.  
  
A thin line appeared on Madam Pomfrey's lips and she began walking away. She answered over her shoulders, "he's going to be fine, so don't you worry. Rest, Miss Weasley. You'll need it."  
  
It was something that Madam Pomfrey said to every of her patient, by why did Ginny feel as if she really meant something else?  
  
Even with all those blankets covering her, Ginny still shivered like a draft came through the closed window.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that night, Ginny awoke to muffled voices and shuffling feet. She opened her eyes a tad bit to take a peek, but not so much that someone would notice she wasn't asleep anymore.  
  
A boy was carrying in the limp form of another boy. She couldn't make out who they were because in order for the patients to sleep, the candles have floated to the top where it would not be so bright.  
  
Madam Pomfrey came from within her office, her face filled with worry and it didn't take light to see it. Ginny saw- no, felt it in the way she carried herself. She heard the older woman whisper, "lay him here."  
  
A bed squeaked and a moan submerged from the new patient. "What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked, her voice hushed so as not to disturb Ginny. "The same thing?"  
  
Ginny didn't hear an answer, but she was sure the boy who carried in the patient nodded. But her attention was soon averted when more footsteps entered the room. Swishing robes on the ground announced the newcomers as Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and to Ginny's distaste, Professor Snape.  
  
"Who is causing all these attacks?" Professor McGonagall asked, gasping at the sight of the bloody boy. "These are not just accidents, professors," she informed the others. "This is attempted murder."  
  
"Reminds me of the year when the basilisk roamed the." Professor Snape said, but Madam Pomfrey hushed him.  
  
"You will speak no such thing in the presence of her," she said, motioning towards Ginny.  
  
Ever since they arrived, Dumbledore hadn't said a thing, but he now turned to the boy who brought in the patient. "Now tell me, where exactly did you find him?"  
  
"The corridors leading to Slytherin common room," a cold voice informed the professors, one identical to the one Ginny had heard only yesterday. "I was patrolling the dungeons as it is my duty and I came across this boy, bludgeon almost to death. If I had not arrived, perhaps he might have been killed."  
  
They all left Madam Pomfrey to care for the boy and walked in the direction of the door, directly in Ginny's view. "Did you see the perpetrator's face?" Professor McGonagall asked anxiously though she knew what the answer would be.  
  
"I only saw a cloaked figure," he said, heading out and Ginny caught sight of his hair, knowing her suspicions earlier had been true. Draco Malfoy brought in this boy as he had brought in Collin only yesterday.  
  
* * *  
  
"I knew it," Ron said the following day, glaring at nothing in particular. "I knew this wasn't an accident. All bets go to Malfoy that he's the traitor, trying to murder for his dark lord. I mean, how is it possible that he found both bodies in exactly two nights?"  
  
Hermione and Harry were in the Hospital Wing with him too, sitting on Ginny's bedside. Far in the corner, across from the closed ward of Collin's was another closed ward. No one knew who lay in there, only that he's as good as dead.  
  
"But Malfoy's explanation is coherent," Hermione said, staring anxiously at Ginny and Harry to support her. "He is the Headboy and his duty is to patrol the dungeons whilst I and the prefects patrol the above levels. If it had been outside or anywhere else, I would have been as suspicious."  
  
Ron glared at her, his gaze made from ice, granite, and stainless steel. Hermione looked away slightly embarrassed, but Ginny caught the pain in her eyes. She loved Ron, but he couldn't see it. She's loved him ever since last year but he's been oblivious to it all, or at least they all thought.  
  
"Hermione's right," Ginny said, jumping in for the rescue. "If it had been anywhere else but the dungeons, Malfoy will be our suspect."  
  
Ron's glower was now directed at her, but she didn't back down. If she had been standing, she would have stood her ground, but in this case, she laid her ground. Her sympathy went out to her friend and she lashed out at her own brother with cruelty she never knew she had. "Don't give me that look," she told him, her gaze mirroring his. "What if you had been the one who found them? Would you like it if we went around saying that you were the suspect? Malfoy's as innocent as anyone until he's proven guilty."  
  
"But that's just it," Ron shot back, standing up now. "He isn't innocent. Of all people, he's the least innocent. His father is in league with You- Know-Who; we've already seen that in our fifth year didn't we? And as we all know the apple doesn't fall far from its tree."  
  
Hermione stood up and left, tears brimming her eyes. Ginny would have gone after her, but she wasn't permitted to leave just yet so to help out her friend, she continued to argue with her brother. "Well you've fallen far from your tree," she told him, watching as his face grew brighter. "You're cruel, Ron Weasley! There goes the woman, maybe the only woman who will ever love you and you're causing her pain. Isn't there anything that could go through your thick head?"  
  
Silence filled the room and Ron's glare softened. He watched Ginny carefully to see if she would shift her gaze, but she didn't once look away. Anger and truth soared through her eyes, telling Ron the truth and he turned on his heel, hopefully heading after Hermione. Boy she was going to kill Ginny later.  
  
"Why're you protecting him?" Harry asked in the silence after the door thudded closed behind Ron and his footsteps had faded down the corridors. "Why're you siding with Malfoy?"  
  
His question surprised her and she frowned at him, wondering why he was thinking that. "What makes you think I'm siding with Malfoy?" she asked him, holding her blanket against her so as to keep herself warm. "All I'm saying is that he shouldn't be accused of something we're not sure he did."  
  
Harry's jaws clenched tightly, his eyes keenly on her bed. Finally, he looked into her eyes and she saw something blazed within his. Anger? Disappointment? Jealousy? All three? She didn't know.  
  
"But you jumped to his defense so quickly that if I hadn't known any better, I would have thought there was something going on," he said truthfully, wanting to believe what Ginny was saying. If she had insisted once again that there was nothing, he would have believed it, that was how much he wanted to believe her.  
  
Ginny didn't say anything else, her eyes averted from his. She stared at the end of her bed, guilt overcoming her because there was a reason she jumped to Draco's defense. She didn't only do it to help Hermione but because she believed that about Draco or she wanted to anyway.  
  
A scoff came from deep within Harry's throat and he shook his head, a disbelieving smile on his face. He couldn't believe that he was hearing this; he couldn't believe that she wasn't going to tell him that he had mistaken, that she really didn't jump to Draco's defense.  
  
Harry stood up and left the room, not looking back once. Ginny didn't understand what had just happened, why it had happened, but she didn't have time to think about it. She threw the covers off and walked towards the other side of the room, heading in the direction of the new closed ward.  
  
No matter how bloody he might be, she would find out who he is. She had to know, she needed to know. It wasn't only for her sake, but for Draco's too. He was innocent, but would others think the same?  
  
She slowly put her hands on the white curtains and hesitantly drew them open. The past swirled through her mind and she paused: A pool of blood began gathering by her foot, coming from underneath the door right before her. No, not her but four-year-old her. Her hand proceeded to the door, to open it.  
  
The curtains lifted and the image before her refocused. There wasn't so much blood as she had thought, but there was still enough to make her sick. The cut and swollen face was hard for her to distinguish, and it took her a while to but at the end, she did and she fainted.  
  
Not from the sight of blood only, but from the sight of who did lay underneath that mess. Why Michael? Her unconscious mind asked nothing and no one.  
  
* * *  
  
That night, Ginny woke up bathed in moonlight. She didn't know what happened, couldn't remember what had happened. She was still in the Hospital Wing, but how did she end up in the bed? She had fainted on the floor, right next to the bed that curtained Michael from the world.  
  
Michael, a voice called deep in her heart. She had loved him and when he left her for Cho, it had hurt her. But she didn't show it to the others; she couldn't show to them her broken heart. No, she concealed it like a secret, like her heart and emotions were only a secret that no one should know. And maybe no one should know.  
  
Tears brimmed her eyes though she tried to force them away. Why did she have to cry now? Why couldn't she cry earlier when she learned that it was Collin and Michael, the two people who had been involved with her?  
  
The candles were once again floating too high in the ceiling, making sure she didn't get enough light. Where was Madam Pomfrey? No candle burned in her office the way it usually did each night when she was up, making medicine for the patients.  
  
"You were unconscious," someone spoke from within the shadows, sending a cold chill down her spine. Ginny held her blanket tighter against her as if it could protect her against him and she watched him, watched his cold smirk. "No one would have found you if I hadn't come in."  
  
The same creepy feeling she felt around him that same night he grabbed her from behind rushed through her, coursing adrenaline through her and she prepared herself for a fight if the need called. Blaise made her very uncomfortable and he knew it too.  
  
"Don't like me very much?" he asked her, walking until he was silhouetted by the moonlight too. "Don't feel comfortable around me?"  
  
She glared at him, wondering where Madam Pomfrey was when she was needed the most. Collin, or maybe Michael moaned and Blaise smirked again, glancing in their direction. "Pity what happened to them," he said, then he turned around with cloak billowing behind him and all and he disappeared through the door.  
  
Ginny gave off a heavy sigh and relaxed but her heart still pounded as though she had been running. Why did he frighten her so much?  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Madam Pomfrey allowed her to leave and she did so in time for breakfast. She hadn't spoken to either her brother or Hermione and Harry ever since they left the Hospital Wing yesterday. They didn't know what happened to her and they especially didn't know that Blaise paid her a visit, but then again, when did they ever know anything that ever happened to her? She was the last at everything.  
  
Ginny took a seat as far away from either one of them as she could, but that was impossible because they were split up. Ron inhabited one side of the table where Hermione took the middle and Harry occupied the end. The only place she had left where she would be far from Harry and nowhere near Ron was in the middle with Hermione. But Hermione would kill her for opening her mouth, so she had nowhere but, in between Ron and Hermione near none other than Neville Longbottom.  
  
"Hi, Ginny," he greeted her, a piece of bacon in his hands and toast in his mouth. She had full view of his chewing mouth and the contents within which made her lose her appetite.  
  
She smiled nervously at him, looking hopefully for anywhere else to sit. When she finished her search and concluded that there was none, she faced Neville again, avoiding looking into his mouth. "Beautiful morning eh?" she asked him weakly.  
  
Neville nodded, stuffing scrambled eggs into his mouth. He gulped down orange juice first, thankfully and spoke. "Nice compared to the day before yesterday," he said, looking out at the blue clouds but windy ambiance. "Looks cold though, don't you reckon?"  
  
She felt eyes on her and glanced to see if either Ron, Hermione, or Harry was glaring at her, but they were all too busy with something else. Ron was 2grumpily poking his toast, tossing occasional glances at Hermione. Harry was looking at something beyond the Gryffindor table and Hermione was chatting away noisily with Pravati Patil and Lavender Brown.  
  
Ginny looked back at her food and tried to eat, but she couldn't force herself to. "You haven't touched your breakfast since you arrived," he informed her, gulping a mouthful of bacon. "Aren't you hungry? I did hear that you were sick."  
  
A weak smile appeared on her face and she shoved his comment aside, looking behind herself to find the source of where the gaze was coming from. Her eyes locked with Draco Malfoy and a smile almost came over her, but she held herself together and didn't. He watched her intently, no emotions visible on his flawless face.  
  
Now, to start off her game, she would speak to him. But how? Well, that's easy because Ron and Harry weren't talking to her and they would be no problem. All she needed was the right time to run into him in the corridors.  
  
Ginny stood up and walked out of the Great Hall, holding Draco's eyes all the way through until she had to turn in order not the run into anyone or anything. Before she exited the Great Hall, she caught Harry's enticing emerald eyes and she wanted to apologize, but he looked away, pain upon him.  
  
* * *  
  
She waited in the corridor for quite some time before he came. The ones who passed by didn't give her one glance before continuing on. That was how unimportant she was. No one even cared to glance at her because she was the last thing they needed to worry about, the last thing they ever needed to notice. She was just another shadow in the corner, nothing that could ever rise above herself.  
  
When he exited the Great hall, she knew it would be him. His hundred galleons shoes clacked on the stone floor and his expensive robe didn't dare touch the floor for it was too good to even be near it. His slicked back silver hair was slightly askew from the wind blowing in through the window and his gray eyes searched for her in the corner, like he knew that was where she would be unlike Harry and the others who didn't even see her.  
  
As if reading her mind, he motioned for them outside and led the way. No words were spoken, none had to be. They could understand one another well enough.  
  
The wind tossed Ginny's flaming hair around, spilling it over her right shoulder. She blinked rapidly to keep the wind out but it got in and tears filled her eyes. At least now he could really blame the wind for the tears in her eyes.  
  
"You brought Michael in," she said, almost accusingly. "Also Collin too."  
  
He skipped a rock that bounced four times before it sank to the bottom. Draco shrugged his shoulders and stared off in the distance, breathing in deeply the cold air. His face was red from the cold, not very godlike for him, but still handsome.  
  
"So what if I did?" he said, never once meeting her eyes. "Am I not supposed to?"  
  
She shrugged and tried to skip her own rock, but it pelted to the bottom without skipping even once. Ginny sighed, "Everyone thinks you're doing this."  
  
Draco skipped another rock that bounced five times before dropping down to the bottom. He turned to her, a smirk upon his lips. "I don't care what they think," he said carelessly as if it really didn't matter. "All I care about is I didn't do it."  
  
"They think you're doing it for You-Know-Who," Ginny continued again as if he hadn't said anything at all. "I don't think you're doing it either, but you have to prove them wrong otherwise."  
  
Ginny's attempt to skip another rock failed and she picked up another one, but Draco grabbed her wrist, holding her back this time. "Otherwise what?" he asked dangerously low. "You don't just skip rocks by throwing it; you have to flick your wrist smoothly."  
  
He demonstrated it and she watched him closely. "Otherwise they will send you to the same place your father is," she answered, trying it but failing once again. Draco sneered.  
  
"Slowly, Weasley," he told her, coming to stand behind her. He put his arms around her, his hands holding her wrist to show her how her wrist should be flicked. "Like this," he did the movement for her several times, making sure she got it. "They might," he said to what she said earlier.  
  
Ginny picked up another rock and sighed, stepping out of Draco's grasp. She turned to stare at him, her eyes questioning. "Why did you bring them in?"  
  
He shrugged carelessly, sticking his hands into his pockets. He looked out across the lake again. "Because I found them and I'm supposed to."  
  
She laughed, low but disturbing. It wasn't one ever made by her before and Draco was shocked, though he recollected himself quickly. She skipped her rock and this time it skipped twice before dropping. "You never do anything you're supposed to," she said, smirking triumphantly. "What makes you think I'll believe you?"  
  
Draco sighed, his eyes slightly squinted against the wind. Like that, he looked like he was studying her, or maybe confused with her. "You don't have to believe me either."  
  
"But I find myself wanting to," she answered him truthfully. It wasn't because she loved him, she just wanted to understand that he was human and not some robotic creature. The same reason why she wanted to win his heart.  
  
Then as mysterious as before, he turned and walked away, his hands still deeply in his pockets. He paused in his strides and looked back at her, his eyes still squinted. His gray eyes studied her, looking her up and down. Finally, he scoffed and shook his head. "Then you're way in over your head," he said only to walk away.  
  
Ginny watched him walk away, a sheepish grin on her face. True, she was in way over her head, but he just didn't know how deep.  
  
A\N: Also, Draco isn't in love with her, not yet. Chapter one, he didn't hold Blaise back or talked to her because he loved her. He just did it because he respected women. He told Ginny that and it's true. Also, thanks to Keh13 for catching this. Yes, it's wind for the redness of your eyes when Draco speaks in the first chappie not rain for the redness of your eyes. I didn't catch that. And thanks everyone for reviewing. I appreciate it very much. 


	3. The Boy Who Stole Ginny's Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, nothing at all.  
  
A\N: Second to the final chapter. Not bad eh? Thanks once again for the reviews. Wow, you guys inspire me to write. Thanks once again. The big question, or the question that's been asked lately, does Harry like Ginny? Hum, the answer is, or will be in the fourth and final chapter. Yup, I'll say so in there. And lots of questions will be answered then. If I forget some, just send me a review to tell me so.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
The Boy who Stole Ginny's Heart  
  
She saw him in the corridors, at meals, even in her dreams. Her desires to understand him have become so strong that she's taken to following him around sometimes too. Three days after Michael was taken to the Hospital Wing, she saw Draco in the corridors and she followed him down to the boy's restrooms.  
  
He was in there for quite some time but still she waited. Her back was leaned against the cold stone wall, red curls spilling down her shoulders. Against her chest, she held onto her books for classes and her feet were parallel to one another. The window not too far from her showed outside and she found herself trying to see out without having to move.  
  
Fall was a beautiful season, her favorite season. She loved watching the leaves change colors, the way they seemed to light the trees on fire. Usually, on weekends she would spend her time underneath a tree just to watch the leaves fall off around her. The condition was just peaceful, serene.  
  
The door to the lavatory opened and he stepped out, somehow knowing she would be where she was. He didn't look at her, only shaking his head and scoffing. What was so funny?  
  
"Don't you think waiting outside of a boy's restroom would seem a bit," he paused for effect. "Odd?" His strides were even and swift. He had long legs that carried him well and she had to almost jog to keep up.  
  
Wind howled through the windows and blew her hair, making the lit torches flicker. Although there was still light outside, the corridors were dark and needed to be lit. "Nothing's odd for you, Malfoy," she said, trying to keep up with his pace.  
  
His strides never once slowed and he walked as though she wasn't behind him. It might have been that he forgot she was behind him until he spoke. "Why do you follow me?" he asked, still walking on as before. "Why do you speak to me?"  
  
"Is it a crime?" she asked him sardonically though she didn't know where it had come from. "When had speaking to you become a crime here?"  
  
He shrugged and shoved his free hands deeply into his pockets. He walked with his cloak billowing behind him like he was a god and she was his servant tagging just a little behind him. "I don't know what you're playing at here, Weasley, but this isn't a game. If you think that I'm the one committing those attacks and you're trying to get me to confess, you're wrong."  
  
Ginny stopped in her attempt to follow him and stared at his form, wondering why he would think that. There was a reason she was following him and talking to him, but trying to pump information or maybe a confession wasn't it.  
  
Draco seemed to have sensed her absence beside him and he stopped only to turn and face her. He looked tired like he wanted to sleep for millions of years. His brows rose quizzically at her and they seem to challenge her to prove that he was wrong.  
  
"I have better things to do than follow you around and try to get a confession," she informed him matter-of-factly. "Actually, I'd rather be out there underneath that orange tree then be confined in these corridors with you."  
  
He smirked and ran a hand through his fine blonde hair. His gray eyes flashed dangerously, "then why aren't you out there? I didn't ask you to follow me around like a lost puppy."  
  
She took a step towards him to make herself seem braver. "The only reason I'm standing here in these corridors with you is because I want to under," she paused, realizing what she was doing. Her game, her mission was only for her to help him, not to ever let him find out.  
  
Ginny clamped her mouth shut and she turned around to avoid him seeing the truth in her eyes. Too late, Malfoy was a cunning fox. "Because you want to understand me, right?" he asked. She could feel his expensive shoes making noised on concrete as he walked towards her. "Right? I mean, who wouldn't? Everyone always wants to talk to pathetic Draco because they want to understand him. Because they want to save him from the life that he leads. Because they want to save him from himself. Isn't that right, Weasley? Isn't that why you're following me around and talking to me like I'm one of your oldest friends?"  
  
He was right behind her and she felt his warm breath on her when he scoffed. "Isn't that right?" he asked again, his voice barely above a whisper. If she hadn't known him better, she would have thought that he sounded a little wounded. "Isn't that why every girl talks to me? Because they think they can rescue me? Be the heroine in my life?"  
  
Maybe it was his voice, maybe she just felt pity for him. Whatever it was, she turned to face him, looking into both of his intense gray eyes. She's never understood Draco and even if she tried, she never would. It was another mystery of Draco Malfoy. He just couldn't be understood.  
  
"No," she said, the volume of her voice matching his. She shook her head but her eyes remained on Draco's all the while. Then she cast her gaze downwards in shame. "And yes," she admitted, feeling foolish. "I'm not doing this because I want to be your heroine; I'm doing it because I want to understand you. I want to prove to myself and maybe others that you aren't just cold-hearted Draco but someone else."  
  
Silence surrounded them and Ginny thought that maybe she saw sympathy in his eyes, his understanding of why she was doing what she was doing. But cold replaced them and he turned away. "But I am just cold-hearted Draco," he said over his shoulders and then disappeared around a corner.  
  
Ginny suppressed a sigh and walked towards Gryffindor Tower. His words echoed through her mind endlessly like a broken record that just couldn't be stopped. They tore at her and clawed like she was lost in a crowd of lost souls.  
  
The fat lady in the portrait that would admit her into Gryffindor Tower raised her brows questioningly. "Quote?" she asked.  
  
Strangely, the code for that year has changed from a word to a quote. It changed occasionally of course, but it was always a quote and they always meant something. The quote for the previous month had been, 'Working hard for something you want is better than wishing for it.' She never understood it, and she tried to solve it because the previous quotes had meant something to someone around her, even if it wasn't her. She came across Harry who stopped dreaming of what he wanted and went for it. Although it hadn't turned up the way he wanted, at least he knew now that he could move on.  
  
"Just because everyone believes one thing doesn't mean you have to," she said, waiting patiently for the picture to swing open. When it didn't, Ginny frowned.  
  
The fat lady in the pink gown nodded, a kind smile pulling on her face. "It's true, you know," she said as though she had been trying to tell Ginny something. The young Gryffindor girl only nodded and stepped inside when the portrait did swing open. She didn't give much thought that maybe the quote meant something in her future, but who knew what would happen?  
  
Ginny made her way to her dorm, thankful that no one she knew was in the common room. The last thing she needed was to be stopped by Ron, Harry, or Hermione.  
  
Silence welcomed her when she entered her dorm. Classes were over, but the sun was still up. The weather wasn't so bad and students could be found wondering the grounds. But not her, because she's there. Underneath a tree on a windy day would be the best thing ever, but she couldn't be out there. She didn't want to be out there just yet.  
  
She closed the curtains around her four-poster bed and lay down, still fully clothed. She needed to think, she needed to clear her mind. What could she do now since Draco already knew half her plans.  
  
The door creak open and someone walked in. Ginny closed her eyes tightly, almost holding her breath. She hoped that whoever it was would leave because she wanted to be alone.  
  
"Ginny?" Hermione's voice rang through the empty dorm, reverberating off the walls. Her small delicate feet didn't make any noise on the ground. Ginny felt the presence stop just on the other side of her curtains, and she closed her eyes to pretend to be asleep.  
  
The thick red curtains that surrounded her bed were lifted and she could feel her friend standing there. Hermione stared at her for a while, before she spoke. "I know why you've been avoiding me, all of us," she said barely above a whisper.  
  
Her words took Ginny by so much surprise that she opened her eyes, frowning. She sat up in bed to make room for her friend who gladly took it but without any emotions showing. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight ponytail behind her head and her brown eyes studied Ginny's.  
  
"But I'm not," she tried to lie, looking at the ground to hide the dishonesty.  
  
Hermione smiled, the first sign of friendliness after she left the Hospital Wing in tears. "Oh come on, Ginny," she said. "You don't seriously think that we haven't been catching on do you?"  
  
She shrugged, feeling bad. Of course she hadn't thought that because she caught Harry giving her glances of concern during lunch and dinner. There was also Ron too who wouldn't stop staring at her and looking away ashamed when she caught him.  
  
"Okay," she admitted. "Yeah, I kind of was. But Hermione, I told Ron. I was so sure you were going to be angry."  
  
The older girl sat silent for a while, letting it all sink in. "I was," she said, looking at her twiddling fingers. "I mean, he's been my friend for so long and I wanted him to realize that maybe I liked him, not that he found out because someone else told him."  
  
"I'm sorry," Ginny said quickly.  
  
Hermione looked up and she let out a little laugh. "It's alright," she told the redhead. "I'm kind of glad that you did because if you hadn't, maybe Ron never would have realized it."  
  
"I don't think so," Ginny told her. "No because Ron may act thick headed, but he knows things. He may not act like that, but it's just a way of hiding how he felt. You should have seen the way his eyes just softened when I told him. It was like he knew all along but he never really believed until someone actually said it to him."  
  
A blush rose on Hermione's face and she looked away almost shy. "After the Hospital Wing, we didn't speak," she said, wringing her hands nervously. "But yesterday, he told me what you said and he asked me if it was true."  
  
"Then what happened?" Ginny asked, completely losing herself in the event.  
  
Hermione shrugged. "Nothing much," she said. "I kind of got mad at him for being such an idiot. I said some things to him that I didn't mean and I have spoken to him since then."  
  
Ginny imagined Hermione rowing with Ron and a smile played on her lips. "What did you say to him?"  
  
A sly smile began growing on her face and she looked half ashamed for it, but it didn't disappear. "I told him that of course it wasn't true, but I was sarcastic. He noticed this and began saying things that weren't really important, or at least I didn't think so because I wasn't listening. Then I mentioned something about three years and he's never taken notice. He went red and stalked off before I could apologize."  
  
"What about breakfast, lunch, or dinner? You didn't speak to him then? Not even classes?" Ginny asked, knowing that it would be impossible to avoid each other when they had practically every class together.  
  
Hermione shook her head, her pony-tail dancing behind her head. "I made sure never to make eye-contact. I stayed with Lavender and Pravarti the whole time. Ron didn't know what to say so he didn't say anything. I don't know what say either."  
  
"Well I do," Ginny said, surprising even herself. "You can go speak to him right now and tell him you're sorry. I mean, I think he really likes you. He just doesn't want to be made a fool of."  
  
The older girl turned the suggestion through her head. At the end, she nodded and stood up to leave. "Thanks, Gin," Hermione said once again. "I'll tell you how it goes afterwards, but I have to admit, I'm nervous."  
  
"Just go," she told her friend, her heart more content then it had been earlier.  
  
Hermione smiled and nodded her head towards a window that was by her. "Harry's out there if you wanted to know," she informer Ginny and then left.  
  
The redhead walked to the window and looked out across the ground right where the Quidditch pitch was. Sitting alone on the stands was Harry, looking across the pitch where forests of yellow and orange leaves were drifting off to another place.  
  
Ginny contemplated whether she should join him or not. They would just have another row whether she was trusting Malfoy or not. But then again, she had to apologize to Harry. She loved him as a sister would love a brother and she realized that that was true. How long had it been since she's loved him like that, even she didn't know.  
  
* * *  
  
Leaves crunched beneath her feet, shattering into a million pieces. The wind picked them up afterwards and carried them away, taking them to a better place. Her hair was also picked up in the middle of the draft, but it didn't go along. It twirled gracefully and blew into her face, her robe following suit. It all looked like a show and she had to hold her skirt down to keep it from revealing anything.  
  
Her foot climbed the wooden steps that would lead her to where Harry was. He was sitting alone, his jaws perched upon his hands when she reached him. He didn't acknowledge her presence and he didn't invite her to stay, but she did so.  
  
Ginny sat by his side, staring and across the pitch too, watching as the leaves fall. They drifted off their trees and followed the draft that blew east. She held her face up to the wind and a smile spread across her face, a peaceful one. She breathed in deeply, never minding the hair that clung to her cheeks.  
  
"It's something isn't it?" she asked him, her eyes closed.  
  
He didn't answer, but she didn't get discourage. Ginny opened her eyes and turned to him, a grin upon her face. She took that moment to watch him, to really look at him and see what she's never had the chance to see up close before.  
  
Harry found it to be annoying and turned the other way. "Stop that would you?" he asked, irritation in his tone.  
  
"Stop what?" she asked, her voice sweet and childlike.  
  
He sighed. "You know what," he said, his back still turned.  
  
"I'm just like your sister, Harry," she told him, her tone serious. "I'm just trying to play that part better than I have in the past."  
  
That caught his attention and he swirled around, a frown upon him. Then it softened into a kind smile that made his emerald eyes stand out even more. "My sister?" he asked, his eyes somewhere else. "Yeah," he said, finally refocusing on her. "Yeah. I've never had a sister before."  
  
Ginny smiled and put a hand on his arm. "Hermione's always been your sister too," she informed him. "You, me, Hermione, and the rest of the boys are just one big happy family."  
  
The smile on Harry's face turned into a wide grin and Ginny felt good. She made Harry smiled and that was something he rarely did now-a-days. "You should do that more often," she added, looking dreamily at his smile.  
  
"Do what?" he asked, the grin never leaving his face.  
  
"Grin," she answered, nodding. "Things are changing," she said afterwards, shocking him.  
  
Harry's face turned into a frown then and she wished she never said a thing. The same distance that hovered in his eyes returned. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Ginny looked across the pitch to lose Harry's eye contact. "I was defending Draco," she admitted. "I don't know why, but I was, Harry."  
  
"Is that what you mean by things are changing?" he asked, his eyes on her hard.  
  
She nodded reluctantly, scared of his reaction at the same time. "I find myself wishing he would just trust me the way you do," she told Harry, catching his eyes that moment. "I find myself following him around just to understand him."  
  
"But what's there to understand?" Harry asked, brushing the hair that fell into his eyes out of his face. "He's Malfoy, there's nothing else to it."  
  
"Or is there?" she said mysteriously, never letting go of her hold on him. "There's a lot that we don't know, Harry."  
  
The boy shrugged and a sheepish grin spread across his face. He reached out a hand and tucked a strand of red hair behind her ears. "True, but looks like no matter what I'm going to say, you won't listen to me. So here's all I've got: Don't get yourself hurt."  
  
Then he stood up and disappeared from view. Ginny sighed and sat alone, wondering how she could get herself hurt over something as simple as Malfoy. The wind whistled into her ears and she didn't even hear someone approaching her until he was already by her side, staring at her thoughtfully.  
  
Ginny shook her head and laughed lightly, turning to face him. He was amused, his blonde brows rose higher than usual. "Something amuses you, Weasley?" he asked, locking gaze with her.  
  
She watched him silently, studying him the way she did Harry. His gray eyes were intent as ever, his blonde hair moving in the wind. His lean figure was facing her, giving her all the attention he's got.  
  
"You," she answered, watching the way his eyes danced. "One moment you're angry that some girl's trying to win our heart and the next, you're talking to her again. I don't get it."  
  
Draco chuckled lowly and he broke their eye contact, slightly disappointing her. He shook his head, his hands clutched together while they rested on his knees. "Isn't it just a game?" he asked her, staring somewhere off. "It's always been for everyone."  
  
"That what made you angry?" Ginny asked, uncertain of the truth. She watched the House of Gryffindor race onto the field and began shooting off into the wind-torn sky. She spotted Harry easily and waved to him when he did. "Thought everything was just a game?"  
  
He shrugged, following Harry with his eyes. She knew he felt angry, but his face didn't show it. One thing Ginny couldn't understand more than the others was why Draco would hate Harry out of nowhere. He's never done the blonde any harm, and yet he loathed him with everything he's got.  
  
"Why do you hate Harry?" she asked then, trying to catch Draco's eyes but couldn't.  
  
There was another shrug and Ginny finally understood why. How could Draco not hate Harry? He's got everything that Draco could never have, maybe except for a family, but that was why the Weasleys were there.  
  
Draco hated Harry because Harry's got everything, or everything that Draco could ever want. He's great at quidditch, he's famous in the Wizarding world, and not only that, he's got friends. People he could trust and talk to, not like Crabbe and Goyle who were just there as bodyguards.  
  
A sense of sympathy filled her and she felt her heart reaching out to his. She looked at him again to watch his eyes spark with jealousy when Harry caught the snitch. Draco didn't think he was good enough.  
  
"How could a person ever think that about himself?" she asked, shaking her head at him. Draco turned to her, startle at her question.  
  
As if knowing what she was talking about, he quickly dropped his gaze elsewhere and his shoulders twitched slightly. "How?" he asked innocently like he didn't understand her.  
  
"Put himself down."  
  
"Why would someone put themselves down?" he asked, putting emphasis into the word 'would'. "If you're talking about me, then you're wrong. Why would I put myself down?"  
  
Harry was instructing people around him, but Ginny didn't see who. When she did glance over to see, she realized that Ron wasn't on the field. Actually, he was heading over in Ginny's direction. "Er, maybe you should leave," she told Draco, staring at Ron's approaching broom.  
  
Draco smirked, but he didn't stand up. He glanced in Ron's direction too and waited as though expecting.  
  
Ron landed right by them and he stared at them both, his face showing off no emotions. His eye balls kept moving from Ginny to Draco and back, but finally, they rested on Ginny and he shook his head in awe.  
  
Relief washed over her, glad that there will be no trouble there. "Ron," she stood up and watched him just to be absolutely sure.  
  
He glanced at Draco and nodded once. It wasn't exactly friendly, but it wasn't exactly cruel either. He returned to Ginny. "I'm not surprised by this," he answered curtly.  
  
Ginny nodded, waiting for more.  
  
"I can't stop it," he added, staring into Ginny's eyes. "I'm not sure I want to. I just want you happy."  
  
She smiled thankfully at him and embraced him before he flew off onto the pitch again. Ginny turned to Draco who looked at her horrified. "Is there something going on that I don't now about?" he asked.  
  
"We're friends," she said like it was the most obvious thing.  
  
The look of horrify suddenly turned into confusion and then there was nothing. Draco's face was blank and emotionless. He scoffed and turned to walk away.  
  
"What's so funny?" she asked him, running after him. His strides were long and he was carried far by the time she did reach him. "We aren't friends?"  
  
"When were we ever friends, Weasley?" he asked, his perfect white teeth showing through his lips.  
  
His words had hurt her and she released his arm, staring as if not believing it. It's only been a few days, but weren't they friends? He had come to apologize for earlier although he didn't say it out plainly. Didn't he?  
  
Draco didn't look at her. He looked at the ground, glaring at it like it was the ground that had angered him. He kicked the bench with his foot hard and ran a hand through his blonde hair, gasping.  
  
This time, it was Ginny who walked away. Did she love him? Maybe and maybe not. He was starting to grow on her though.  
  
* * *  
  
It was the middle of the night when Ginny was awoken by someone. They were shaking her hard, disturbing her from a peaceful dream. A boy had been in there, a handsome one. Someone was after her, trying to get her, but the boy had been there to save her. He had caught her when she fell.  
  
Ginny rubbed her eyes to rid herself of the sleep and searched for a familiar face. The darkness blinded her, but she knew who the voice belonged to when the person spoke. "Ginny, get up. Something's happened."  
  
"Hermione?" she asked, getting out of bed. "What's happening?"  
  
The older girl practically dragged her out of the dorm and out into the common room. Ron was out there too, his fingers supporting his head. There were bags under his eyes, indicating that he hadn't been sleeping.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked again.  
  
Hermione went to Ron's side and he stood up. They were almost the same height, but Ron stood two inches taller. "It's Harry," Ron said, his voice hoarse. "He's in the Hospital Wing."  
  
Ginny gasped and everything around her seemed to swirl together. She clutched the sofa arm to keep from falling over. "Why is he in there?"  
  
But she already knew why. Not only that, she knew who brought him in.  
  
"I want to go see him," she told her brother and Hermione.  
  
They shook their heads, their hands in one another's. Did that mean that they were together? She would have to ask later when everything wasn't so fuzzy. "Why not? I have to see him."  
  
"Ginny, he's beat up too badly," Hermione said in what would have been a soothing voice if she hadn't been shaking so much. "He's just like Collin and Michael. No one's allowed to see any of them just yet."  
  
She breathed out in distress, knowing she couldn't argue with them. "Okay," she said, turned towards the stairs that would lead up to her dorm. "But can we go on the very first day that we can?"  
  
Her brother seemed somewhat relieved and exhaled as if he's been holding his breath in all this time. "Yeah, Gin."  
  
"G' night," she told them before heading back upstairs.  
  
They both nodded and she left. But when she was up in her dorm, she didn't sleep. Instead, she pulled on a white t-shirt and kept her flannel pajama bottom on. She pulled on slip-on shoes and waited for Hermione to go to bed before she snuck out. Of all things, she had to forget her wand.  
  
* * *  
  
The Hospital Wing was as dark as it had been the night she woke up in there and found Blaise with her. The candles still hovered high above in the ceiling and Ginny made sure not to make any noise because Madam Pomfrey's candle was still on.  
  
Ginny knew which bed was Harry's because his was the next closed ward beside Collin's. She tip-toed over and lifted the veil, her hands shaking violently. She hadn't been this afraid of blood for a while, but seeing it as belonging to someone she knew, it scared her.  
  
Harry was breathing evenly, but his brows were constricted like he was in pain. He had bruises over his face and the bandages that covered his head was red with blood. His face wasn't so bad, except for the scratches ran down one side of his face and the rip in his thin lips.  
  
She stepped inside of the wards and closed the curtains behind her. Ginny watched him, feeling tears threatening to fall down her face. After while of contemplating, she reached up a hand and gently touched his scratched face. He winced almost as if in pain, but he stilled again.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked the silence. The same thing happened to three people that she knew. Was someone trying to tell her something?  
  
The door to Madam Pomfrey's office opened and Ginny panicked, searching for a place to hide. She couldn't run out because the nurse would see her. Ginny glanced down and spotted enough space beneath Harry's bed to hide. She squeezed underneath there in time before the curtains were lifted and Madam Pomfrey stepped inside.  
  
She stood there for a while, tending to Harry's wounds. Ginny was getting tired and her legs were starting to fall asleep. She tried to hold on, but she needed to get out soon or she would fall over.  
  
Finally, Madam Pomfrey picked up her things and left. Ginny stayed in to be sure until she heard the door to her office closed and stepped out from underneath the bed. "That was close," she whispered to the sleeping Harry.  
  
She glanced at him one last time and then left. She wasn't going to get caught in there. It could mean a lifetime of detention for her. The thick wooden door leading into the Hospital Wing closed gently behind her and she walked down the hall, her legs shaking like crazy.  
  
Harry's condition had unnerved her, but what did more than that was the feeling of being watched. It was the same sensation she had felt when Harry first brought her to the Hospital Wing, but not exactly the same. The feeling that day had been creepy, making her skin crawl. But this one was softer, though it did leave her pretty nervous.  
  
Ginny turned around to make sure she wasn't being follow, but she never had the chance to. Someone threw a bag over her head and she felt someone lift her onto their shoulders before darkness took her.  
  
A\N: Ahhhh! This chapter wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be. Well, I did try though. Thanks so much for the reviews everyone. I appreciate it all, each and everyone of them. I know I said I was going to put a poem in here, but I didn't know how to put it up in ff.net without messing it up so I gave up. Hope you enjoyed this chappie and send as much reviews as you had last time. I luv you all. Bai. 


	4. The Girl Who Won Draco's Heart

Disclaimer: I'm the disclaimer. So I don't claim any of these things I write about. They're J.K Rowling as you all already know and yeah.  
  
A\N: The end is near. What am I saying? It is here. Now, your questions will be answered. Thanks for the reviews once again. Wow, they really mean a lot to me. Read this and enjoy it. Don't forget to review.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
The Girl Who Won Draco's Heart  
  
A music box played in the background, coming from behind the closed door. Little Ginny Weasley, dressed in her pink pajamas and clutching her teddy bear was walking silently down the hallway, wondering why there was thick red liquid running from underneath the door.  
  
The door knob was before her, waiting for her to turn it. A feeling was pulling at her guts, telling her to run away, to run into her mommy and daddy's room, but with the curiosity that a four-year-old had, she turned the knob.  
  
She stepped into the blood, soaking up her tiny feet. The door was opened slightly now and she peeked in, wondering what was happening. A man was in there, not the same man that had come in earlier.  
  
Ginny stared curiously up at the cloaked man, his face hidden in darkness and wondered what happened to that kind man who was there earlier. He had been her mommy's brother who came all the way from Romania. He was given that bedroom, but now, she wondered where he was.  
  
Another man was in the room, but he wasn't standing like the other one. He was on the ground, red things spilling from a wound he had on his chest.  
  
"Mister?" she asked the man on the ground though she had not moved from the door.  
  
The other man who was cloaked turned when hearing her voice and a vicious glare crossed his face. He pointed his wand at the man who was wheezing now and whispered something. Then everything disappeared.  
  
It was just Ginny at the door, the man standing up, and the man who was lying on the ground. There was no blood, there was no wound, and there was no evidence that a murder had been committed there.  
  
The cloaked man chuckled lowly and pointed his wand at the little girl. She was a witness and would have to die.  
  
He thought of a kind death because she was just a little girl, but there was no such thing. He looked at the ceiling bored and almost whispered the forbidden curse when another figure appeared in the room with him.  
  
He was young with a handsome face. Dark hair graced his head and his blue eyes looked the little girl over. "We could use her," he said, nodding.  
  
The cloaked man with slit red eyes thought about it a moment before putting his wand down. "And what can we use a little girl for?" he asked, a bit irritated.  
  
"She's a little witch, a growing one," the younger stranger said. "I sense she will become very powerful if influenced by the right source. Spare her life and as soon as she attends Hogwarts which shall not be too long after the Potter child, we could use her to get to him. We can possess her and kill him."  
  
The red eyes flashed with malice and he nodded to agree with the younger man. "Very smart," he said and pointed his wand at her again.  
  
Ginny felt something cold and dreading hit her. She looked up into the younger boy's eyes and gasped for what she saw in there frightened her. He stared at her, almost possessively.  
  
* * *  
  
She jerked from her dreams and found herself in darkness. Her breath came out hard, her heart beating rapidly having been scared by the dream. She didn't remember that event ever in her life, but it could explain why she was frightened of blood.  
  
Ginny could see her breath in the cold. She hugged herself for warmth and scolded herself for doing something as stupid as sneaking out.  
  
Where was she? The darkness kept the truth from her, but she had a feeling she knew. It's been ages since she's been in there and it's the last place she would ever want to be, but there she was, in the Chamber of Secrets.  
  
Then there was a light far off in the distance. It was tiny, like a dot, but it came closer and it got bigger. It was on the point of a wand, and a man was holding it. No, not a man but a boy of merely seventeen.  
  
The tip of his wand wasn't lit enough to illuminate his face, but she could already make out who he was. He came closer and the light was big enough to show his face. Draco Malfoy had no expression. He kept his eyes on her all the time through and for a while there, she thought she caught sadness in them. She thought.  
  
He reached her and the light grew big enough to illuminate both of them. Draco paused inches from her, making sure his eyes were holding hers. The light of his wand danced in them and he looked different. How? She didn't know.  
  
"You tried to kill them didn't you?" she accused him, her voice filled with panic though she did not want to show she was afraid.  
  
Draco's countenance didn't change. It still showed nothing of what he felt or what he was thinking. But then it didn't surprise her because he was an attempted murderer and he's not supposed to feel or think anything.  
  
"Nothing too surprising is it?" he laughed mirthlessly. "I mean, you've thought so all along anyway, right?"  
  
Ginny glared at him, hating herself for feeling sorry for him before. "You were right, you are cold hearted Draco."  
  
His face was emotionless again and he turned so his back was to her. "You don't get it do you? After everything that's happened, you still don't realize what's going on?"  
  
"I understand exactly what's going on alright," she said, willing him to turn back around but he wouldn't. "You did all this. You hate my family, so you thought that you'd kill me to get to them. You beat Collin, Michael, and Harry and then you brought them in yourself. You did it because you wanted people to suspect you and then I would feel sorry for you like you knew I would. There, you would wait until I'm alone and helpless as I was in the corridors. Then you kidnapped me and brought me here."  
  
He rounded on her and his eyes flashed with anger. "And how would I explain how you died?"  
  
She had to think about it before answering. "No one knows you took me, so you'll leave my body in here as Tom Riddle was going to do in my first year." Something flashed behind Draco's eyes but it disappeared like a candle in the wind.  
  
"You're so naïve, Weasley," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Everything is before you and you can't even understand what's going on."  
  
Ginny brought her hand up and tried to slap him, but he held onto her hand as though it had been nothing. His grip was firm, but it wasn't hard.  
  
"As soon as Harry and the others wake up, they'll tell Dumbledore about you," she informed him. "They'll tell him about how you tried to kill them and he'll take you to Azkaban and lock you up where you belong.  
  
Draco laughed maniacally and Ginny backed up, frightened by his actions though there wasn't far to go because he still had her arm in his grip. "That's where you're wrong, Weasley," he said, staring into her eyes fiercely. "When they wake up, they'll tell Dumbledore exactly what happened and you'll realize that it was never me." He raised his brows challengingly, "but then again, maybe they won't ever wake up because something might happen."  
  
Ginny's eyebrows knitted and she tried to push Draco's hands away. "You're crazy, Draco," she almost yelled. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but you're crazy. Just let me go and I'll never tell anyone what happened here."  
  
"Oh, but love, it's too late," he said. "You're already in here and even if you get away from me, you won't get away from him."  
  
His words surprised her and she felt hairs rise at the back of her neck. It was the same feeling she had when she felt that someone was watching her and Harry that one night they were in the corridors.  
  
Draco's grip on her loosened and she pulled away, running in the direction she hoped the exit would be. But how would she get out? Last time, they did so because Fawkes had been there, but now she was trapped.  
  
Even though she knew that, she continued to run. Maybe it took her away from Draco, but it also brought her closer to something that continued to make the hair on her neck rise. Somehow, she felt more secured closer to Draco.  
  
The same serpents that lined the pathway still stood their spot by the wall. Water littered the floor and her feet made splashing noise when it connected with the ground. Then Ginny ran into someone and fear coursed through her body.  
  
A cold laugh rang through the chamber and Ginny fell to the ground. She looked up helplessly at the man in the darkness and she waited to see who it was.  
  
Two wands lit at the man's side and Ginny could see who stood before her. Blaise Zabini grinned evilly at her, and his hands reached out to touch her red hair. She tried to back up, but her legs were frozen before her.  
  
For a moment there, Ginny forced herself to look beyond him and at the two who lit their wands. Crabbe and Goyle stared at her, their grins matching Blaise's.  
  
"Hello, my precious," Blaise whispered, his voice not quite the same. "It's been a long time since we've meet face to face."  
  
Ginny watched him fearfully. He motioned his head towards her and Crabbe and Goyle came forward to pick her up. They still held their wands, but it only took one of their arms to hold her.  
  
In between Draco's goons, they dragged her behind Blaise and back in the direction that Draco was in. Now she had no chance to escape, especially with her wand nowhere near.  
  
How stupid could have she been? Why couldn't she have left her warm clothes and taken her wand with her?  
  
They dropped her on the cold floor where she had been and went to stand a little behind Blaise. Draco stood beside Blaise, but his countenance didn't match theirs. He was emotionless like he had been earlier.  
  
Ginny glared at him. Not at the others, but at him, Draco Malfoy. It was his fault she was there. It was he who kidnapped her and brought her there, that's why she's even there in the first place.  
  
"If you're going to kill me, then do it now," she spat.  
  
Blaise looked amused, but Draco was still neutral.  
  
"You think that's why you're here?" Blaise asked, his brows rising well into his hair line.  
  
Ginny glared at him, but didn't answer. She was afraid, that much was true, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight. Even without a wand, at least she could die knowing that she tried to escape.  
  
"You're sick, Blaise," she whispered. "You're all sick."  
  
Then she stood up and turned, fleeing the way she did that day in the corridors when he had grabbed her from behind. She kept running, going as fast as her bare feet could carry her. Why hadn't she done this when she was a little girl?  
  
She was almost there, the huge chamber door just beyond her reach. The water was cold and she felt her feet freezing. How long would she be able to keep this up before she collapsed?  
  
It didn't take much to figure that out because someone tackled her from behind. His huge form took hers to the ground and pinned her there. Ginny struggled beneath him, but to no avail. He was bigger, not like Crabbe and Goyle big, but bigger than her and she couldn't win.  
  
Well, at least she wouldn't have to say she didn't try.  
  
"Don't do anything stupid, Weasley," his cold voice spat, his breath heavy. He had been running hard. "He'll kill you if you don't stay put, but then he already knows you won't get away."  
  
Ginny stopped struggling beneath him and stilled. "What's going on?" she asked, finally understanding that she didn't understand.  
  
Draco scoffed, but it was very lightly. When he spoke, it was barely above a whisper, like he didn't want the others to hear. "Something that could kill you if you don't stay still," he said. "Stay put by his feet."  
  
"Draco!" Blaise called from across the chamber. "You going to bring her back or have her all to yourself?"  
  
He sighed and stood up, dragging her along. "Watch what you do, Weasley," he said. "You don't know what's going on, so ask him."  
  
She frowned, but it didn't matter. She let him drag her back to where she started again and she once again sat in her spot. What was it with that spot and those psychos?  
  
Blaise bent down and brought her face up to look at him with his finger. Tears coursed down her cheeks because she was helpless now, not that she wasn't before. But at least she had strength to run. Now, she's done for.  
  
"Why do you choose to run?" he asked, his voice still very strange from Blaise's. "You know you won't get away. You belong here with me."  
  
Ginny didn't even look at him. This angered him and he slapped her hard enough to turn her head. She caught sight of Draco and she thought she saw him tense, but she only thought.  
  
A metallic taste filled her mouth and she spat on the ground to find her spit red. Damn Blaise.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked.  
  
Blaise raised him eyebrows at her. "Isn't it obvious? Stay here with me, Virginia."  
  
Ginny flinched at the name. It was what Tom Riddle used to call her.  
  
"You remember don't you?" he asked, standing up. Then Ginny did. This wasn't Blaise Zabini, this was Tom Riddle himself, possessing the body of Blaise as he had hers before.  
  
She scurried to get away from him. "You," she said through fear. "No, you're dead. Harry destroyed your diary and you're dead."  
  
"You think?" he asked, grinning maniacally at her. "You think that that's the only diary that holds a memory of me? I'm far too smart for that Virginia. I'm far too smart for anything, actually.  
  
"Draco over there had nothing to do with the beatings, unless you count watching of course," Blaise, or Tom Riddle said, nodding his head in Draco's direction.  
  
Ginny glanced in his direction and managed a glare at him when she caught his eyes.  
  
"Yes, he knew all along and he said nothing," Tom Riddle whispered. "I've been watching you, my sweet," he said then. "I know the people who you love and those who love you. It's them I have to oppose of. They stand in the way. I had to get them out."  
  
She didn't understand what he was saying. It showed and Tom Riddle's maniac grin turned even crazier. "Didn't you realize it, Virginia dear?" he asked in mock surprise. "Collin, Michael, and Potter. They all love you and even if Potter didn't love you, you loved him. I couldn't take that now can I?  
  
"I got him on his way from Quidditch practice," Tom Riddle said, staring off into space, remembering that night. "Yes, it felt nice to hit him. You should have seen what he did when he realized I knocked his glasses off. He crawled on his knees like an animal, searching for them."  
  
Ginny's fist clenched and she wanted to stand up and sock the grin off the maniac's face.  
  
"I would have killed them of course, if Draco hadn't stopped me," Tom Riddle continued, looking at his fingernails like they were the most interesting things in the world. "Don't know what got into him, but he convinced me not to and so I didn't."  
  
Tom Riddle sighed. "I returned to kill them that night you saw me actually," he said, staring at her. "I was going to finish them off so if one of them happened to wake up, they would never know it's me. But then I saw you and you had to wake up."  
  
She remembered that night. "But I still don't get it. Why? Why would you go through all this just to get me here?"  
  
Tom Riddle looked at her in surprise, but it vanished. "It was so long ago that I saw you," he said, reminiscently. "Yes, you were but a mere four year old and my heart just fell for you. You were so innocent, and so powerful I could feel it radiating through you. I made my older self spare your life and it was worth it. You've grown up beautifully.  
  
"When I took over you in your first year, I knew it wouldn't be long before Potter was dead and you would be mine," he stopped then, anger filling him. "But Potter didn't and you never became mine."  
  
Ginny scoffed and she wondered where she got the boldness from. "How would you have had me if I was dead? I was inches from death. You were going to kill me back then."  
  
"You think so?" he asked. "It was all an act to make Potter fall for it. You were going to get better afterwards, but everything had to go so wrong. But that was back then. All that matters is you're with me now."  
  
"But how were you able to be there with your older self back then? And how was he able to be there? Wasn't he weak by then because of Harry?" Ginny asked out of mere curiosity.  
  
Tom Riddle shrugged. "I wasn't so weak then. As years passed, time made me weary and I became weak. He was Voldemort all right, but that doesn't mean it was his body. He possessed half of Quirrell's head even then."  
  
She swallowed and tried to get away again, but Tom riddle shook his head and he held his hands out to her. He looked deeply into her eyes and something compelled her to take his hand. Maybe at least this ordeal would be over with and she'll be okay.  
  
Ginny's hand began reaching for his. She was going to hold onto him, but someone yelled, 'accio Ginny,' and she wasn't by Tom Riddle anymore. No, she was by Draco's side, him holding onto her possessively, but it was comforting.  
  
She looked up into his face and saw something she's never seen before. He stared at Tom Riddle with hatred and never once did his glare waver. "She isn't yours to have, Riddle," Draco said threateningly.  
  
Tom Riddle laughed mirthlessly. Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward with their wands raised at Draco, but Tom shook his head to tell them to back off. "I knew you had it in you, Malfoy," he said. "I knew you weren't one to trust."  
  
Draco carefully pushed her behind him as to shield her and Ginny willing did so. "Give up, Riddle. She doesn't want you, leave her be."  
  
"She belongs with me, Malfoy," Tom said. "Your father serves Voldemort as his slave, why must you rebel?"  
  
His words stung Draco and he raised his wand. "Stupefy," Draco yelled. But Tom Riddle only blocked it with a countercurse.  
  
He laughed, "You think it shall be easy to kill me, Draco?" Tom Riddle asked, putting emphasis on Draco's name. "Don't be too sure."  
  
The amusement disappeared on Tom Riddle's face and Blaise's wand was in his hands, pointing dangerously at Draco. "Expelliarmus," he yelled.  
  
Draco's wand shot into the air and disappeared into the darkness. He was filled with surprise, but he began backing up, making sure Ginny was safely behind him. "My wand is to your left right here," Draco said, his voice so low she could barely hear. "Run to it and grab for it. Getting out of here is up to you."  
  
Ginny nodded and slipped into the shadows. Draco was left in the light that both Crabbe and Goyle's wand lit up. Tom wasn't happy with the movement. His face contorted with fury and he yelled a curse in rage. Draco was thrown into the air, but he never once left the circle of light.  
  
She kept still in the darkness, but she peeked in Draco's direction to see that he was clearly hurt. A wound was opened at his shoulder and it was bleeding hard. Draco's black robe was beginning to soak up the thick liquid.  
  
"Wand," she gasped, searching for it in the darkness. Where was the wand. He had said it was to her left, but she couldn't find it. "Ouch," she almost said too loudly in the darkness. She stepped on the wand and it rolled, causing her to fall down.  
  
Tom heard the sound of her 'oof' and looked in her direction. He nodded to tell Crabbe and Goyle to search for her.  
  
Ginny picked up the wand and waited silently in the darkness as to not give herself away. Their light was getting nearer though. If it got anymore closer, she would be found.  
  
Tom was walking towards Draco who hadn't gotten up from where he fell. But her mind wasn't on that much. If she was caught, who would save him?  
  
She whispered an enchantment Hermione taught her to make Crabbe and Goyle's light diminished. Now they were in complete darkness and Ginny moved stealthily away from the goons.  
  
As thick headed as they were, they didn't know what to do and ran into the wall. The sound of head bumping against something hard told her so.  
  
With them out of the way, Ginny moved in the direction she guessed Draco to be. He shouldn't be far because she hadn't gone too far. "Draco?" she whispered lowly.  
  
Big mistake. Tom was right by her and knocked the wand out of her hands. He grabbed her from behind the way he did before and pinned her against his chest, his arm around her neck. He lit up his wand so it illuminated only them.  
  
"Thought you could get away huh?" he asked, making a chill run down her spine. "I've loved you for ages, Virginia. Now, I will finally have you."  
  
Ginny breathed hard and took in a breath to prepare herself for what she's about to do next. It was something her brothers taught her to do. Being in a family of mostly boy had it's advantages because Ginny socked him in his chest with her elbow.  
  
Surprised by her blow, he let go and she turned around to kick him in his shins. Tom Riddle bent down and she took the chance to hit smack him in his nose with the insides of her palm. He doubled over in pain and something shot from within the darkness to hit leg. He collapsed to the ground and didn't move.  
  
She knew he wasn't dead. It wasn't enough to kill him, but she ran over to Draco anyway. Turns out his wand flew from within her hands near him. He lit his wand and she picked him up onto her lap.  
  
Blood was everywhere, but Ginny didn't turn away because she wasn't afraid of it anymore. Draco was pale, very pale from his lost of blood.  
  
"I know a healing spell," she said, taking his wand from him. She murmured the spell and the wound cleaned up quickly, no trace of blood anywhere. The dream taught her something, though she didn't only clean up but heal him.  
  
"Where'd you learn that from?" he asked, sitting up.  
  
Ginny giggle and turned away. "In my dreams," she answered.  
  
Draco grinned and ran a finger down her cheeks. "I'm sorry about everything."  
  
She frowned at him. "What'd you do? Thanks, Draco. You saved my life here today. I owe you my life."  
  
"No you won't," Tom Riddle said from where he had fallen. "If I can't have her, no one will." Then he yelled a curse at her. The same cold dreading sensation ran through her and she fell. Ginny felt Draco catch her before darkness took her once again.  
  
* * *  
  
"No!" Draco yelled. He set her on the ground and began his hunt for Tom Riddle. That bastard. If Draco had known any better, he would have killed that boy sooner.  
  
His footsteps silently graced the ground, listening to Tom Riddle's careless splashing. Draco heard a noise to his right and he shot a curse that way. It missed.  
  
"Draco," Tom's voice said in a singsong way. "Oh Draco," he said again.  
  
Draco smirked into the darkness. How stupid could that prat be? His voice was only leading him closer to Tom Riddle. Then something else hit him from behind. "Stupid git," Tom Riddle yelled. "Gave yourself away when you tried to curse me."  
  
Draco swore and limped farther away. This time, he wasn't soundless because he was hurt. His feet caused the water to splash underneath him.  
  
"Come out would you?" Tom said. "You can't get away. You're done for."  
  
He didn't answer. He continued to walk, following the voice. It led into one of the pipes filled with water. He was even noisier than before.  
  
"Did you really think I was going to let you have her?" he asked. "I love her and if I can't have her, no one will."  
  
"Tell me how I will wake her back up," Draco demanded, furious.  
  
Tom's laugh was mirthless through the long pipes. "You can't, Malfoy. Once she's under my spell, she can't be awoken. Well, not by you anyway."  
  
Draco burned with anger. "Tell me, you bastard!"  
  
"Only true love's first kiss will wake her up, idiot," Tom said. "If you kill me, she'll never wake up."  
  
"You expect me to believe that?" Draco asked. "It only exists in a fairy tale."  
  
"You think?" Tom asked, sounding further away.  
  
Then Draco saw his chance. Not far away, Crabbe and Goyle were coming to and they were lighting their wands. If Tom was heading in the direction that Draco thought he was, he could curse Tom when he walks into the light.  
  
And as he thought, Tom did just that. He hadn't realized the two goons had woken up and walked right into their light. Draco took the moment and said the only spell he knew to use on Tom Riddle.  
  
"Avada Kedavra," he said. Green light shot through his wand and then Tom Riddle wasn't anymore. Only Blaise's body was left behind, and he was dead.  
  
Draco walked back out to Ginny and kneeled by her, staring in the direction of Crabbe and Goyle. He had just used an unforgivable curse. What would Ginny think of him now?  
  
The two oafs stumbled towards him and Ginny. They held their light out until all four of them were illuminated. Draco didn't want to fight them because he was tired and he just wanted Ginny to wake back up. But to protect her, he pointed his wand up at the idiots and put an arm over Ginny protectively.  
  
"We won't kill you, Draco," Goyle said slowly.  
  
"Yet," Crabbe added. "We will let you go now, but don't ever get caught alone. We won't be so nice then."  
  
Draco almost gave them a grateful smile, but decided against it and picked Ginny up. She wasn't dead but asleep like she had been earlier when he first kidnapped her. How stupid could have he been? He thought he was doing the right thing, bringing her there to keep her from Tom's grasp, but all he did was bring her into Tom's grasp.  
  
He carried her outside of the chamber and walked over to pick up his firebolt. He had brought her in there on it. There had been many times when he was closed to dropping her but somehow managed not to.  
  
Then everything was behind them and they were soaring towards Hogwarts and its safety. Dawn was approaching and Draco could make out the beautiful color of the horizon. If only Ginny were awake to see it.  
  
He dropped her off at the Hospital Wing. He left her right by the doorway and knocked on the door. When he was sure Madam Pomfrey was on her way to open it, he walked away as fast as he could. It wouldn't do him any good to have people suspecting him. And especially after he used an unforgivable curse, he wasn't sure he was any different from Tom Riddle.  
  
Draco went into his dorm and fell asleep. When morning was there and the school had been awake for hours, he stayed in bed. He fell asleep again and didn't wake up until darkness fell and dinner was being served.  
  
Hungry, Draco cleaned himself up and went down for dinner. He looked at the Gryffindor table for her, hoping maybe she woke up, but she wasn't there. Actually, Ron and Hermione looked pretty worried and Draco noted to himself to go check up on her.  
  
"Did you hear?" Pansy asked from where she sat beside him. "Heard the Weasley girl was found in the doorway of the Hospital Wing and she wouldn't wake up. Dumbledore has set up a time tonight when every boy in Hogwarts would get a chance to kiss her. Looks like they're searching for her true love."  
  
Pansy laughed hysterically but stopped when Draco stood up and left. He didn't have time for her. No, someone else needed him.  
  
He made his way to the Hospital Wing and sat by her. At six, the first boys began coming by. They saw Draco, but only thought him to be another boy there to try his luck. Who wouldn't? Ginny was one of the most beautiful girls there, he's just noticed.  
  
Days went by, and then week. Still, she didn't wake up and everyday he sat by her side. When the Creevey boy woke up, he tried his luck too, but she didn't wake up. Another week went by and still, Ginny was still asleep.  
  
Then the Corner boy woke up. He tried his luck too, but to no avail. She was still deep in her sleep and Draco had nothing else to hope for but Potter. She's loved him her whole life, maybe he might be the lucky guy.  
  
Another week went by, and then Potter woke up. He looked like horrid, but the worry in his face was genuine. Draco informed him on what happened, along with Weasley and his now girlfriend, Granger because he told them earlier.  
  
Potter got the story. "So you think I'm the one to do this?" Harry asked.  
  
Draco nodded, a bit irritated. Harry seemed unsure. He put a hand to her cheek and looked at her longingly. Draco didn't know what happened, but his fist clenched tightly the way it did when all the other boys took their turn.  
  
Then Harry dived in for the kiss. He came back up and everyone held their breath, but no, she didn't even stir. Hope floated out of Draco, but he was somewhat relieved to find that Harry wasn't her true love. No, he didn't know what he would do if Harry had been.  
  
"It's not me," Harry said, sad and relieved at the same time.  
  
Maybe Tom Riddle had been right. He said he was her true love and only he would wake her up. Maybe Draco made a huge mistake by killing him. Now, Ginny would never wake up.  
  
Hermione saw the way Draco's fit clenched earlier and now she watched him search the room worriedly. She bit her lips and kept staring at him until he couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"What?" he snapped at her.  
  
"Did you try, Malfoy?" she asked, her voice holding no warmth.  
  
Draco was surprised by her question. "Me?" he asked, somewhat dumbly. "Me? It can't be me. She's loved Potter for ages and if he can't do it, you think I can?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
He scoffed at her and left the room. He walked through the corridors at first, cursing Granger for even thinking of such a thing. But his walk turned into a brisk one and then a jog and he ended up flat out running.  
  
Draco ran down the flight of stairs and past the Great hall. He ran straight through Hogwarts until he reached the lake, and there he finally stopped. He was gasping, trying to catch his breath.  
  
"Damn you, Granger!" he yelled at the lake. His legs were weak and he fell to his knees, feeling hopeless. Everything was a mess.  
  
He was a Malfoy, a damn Malfoy and this wasn't what he was supposed to do. He wasn't supposed to fall to his knees in despair, because Malfoys don't despair. They don't feel anything. They keep that steel mask of theirs and hardened their already icy heart until there was no warmth to be found.  
  
He's vowed never to love again, not after what happened in the past. But with Ginny, he's suddenly found love again. He's gone against his vow and fell in love with a girl, no a woman who would never love him back.  
  
Draco stayed there for quite some time. And then darkness fell. He went back into the castle and into the Hospital Wing. He didn't know why. He just had to go see her face again.  
  
Ginny was still lying in her bed, paler than ever. Her breathing was even and she was so angelic. Draco ran a hand down her cheek and before he knew it, his lips were mere inches from her.  
  
He had to try. Maybe she didn't love him, but he loved her. "You won my heart, Ginny," he whispered, still only inches from her. "You wanted to play a game and now you've won. My heart is yours, so take it."  
  
Then he kissed her, deep and passionately. He put everything he had into it, giving her a taste of what's she's done to him. His fingers caressed her face lightly the whole time and when he pulled away, he waited to see if she would stir. When she didn't, he turned and walked away.  
  
He wasn't her true love. He should have seen that ages ago. Now he's let himself get hurt again. How foolish could he get? How many times was a person supposed to make a mistake before they realized they can't win? How many times was a person supposed to get himself hurt before he found the one person who would love him?  
  
Not long, because-  
  
"Draco?" her tiny and frail voice called out in the big Hospital Wing. He was surprised, he was shocked, and he didn't know what to do. Then like a coward, he ran.  
  
A\N: And that's the end. But there's gonna be an epilogue. I'm just saying it's the end for the chapters. So what did you guys think huh? I just put the other chapter up, but I'm gonna do this one too because I have another story coming and I want to get this done as soon as possible. I hope I answered your questions and if I didn't, send me a review. If I did, still send me a review. Also, I'd like to add that the part where every boy gets a chance to kiss her is an idea I got from Icecooler's Sleeping Someone. I hope you didn't mind me borrowing it. Thanks for reading this far. I appreciate it and you guys inspire me. You know you do. Bai. 


	5. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
A\N: Crimson Mist- Draco will be slapped for you. Lol. Anyway, thanks everyone for reviewing and staying with me this far. This, I'm afraid, is the end. I have to say, I'm really glad it is because I've been putting the others aside and I need to get back to them. Read and don't forget to review. Bai. Plus, I've got to add that there's going to be a sequel.  
  
Epilogue  
  
She had been in the middle of a dream. Nothing but darkness surrounded her and she had been searching for something. What? She didn't know, only that she was.  
  
The darkness blinded her and she walked with her hands outstretched. It seemed like she's been stuck in the dark for ages. She's been calling out absentmindedly, though she couldn't remember what it was that she's been calling out to.  
  
Then far off in the distance, she caught sight of a light. It was a small dot like in the Chamber of Secrets. It grew as it came closer, but still she could not see the face of the beholder.  
  
Ginny rushed to the light. Whatever, whoever was holding it must be trying to help her. When she was close enough to reach out and touch the person who held the wand, she waited for his face to show.  
  
It was Collin, but he walked right by her like he didn't even know who she was. Her footsteps faltered beneath her and she reached out for something, even Collin to hold, but she fell. She hit the cold floor and looked back up at Collin. Still, he walked away like he didn't know her.  
  
She began to shiver in the darkness. Days must have passed, even weeks before the next set of lights came. Like before, it didn't show the beholder's face until he reached Ginny. It was Michael. She stood up and waited for him, hoping maybe he might be able to help her out.  
  
"Michael," she said to him when he reached her.  
  
He turned and looked at her, but continued on. She ran after him, she wanted to get out of there. But she didn't see the rock that blocked her path and she tripped on it. She fell flat on her face, wondering why Michael hadn't caught her.  
  
Ginny looked up and watched in despair as his form and light slowly diminished into the darkness like the others. But why was she surprised? They always did anyway.  
  
More days passed, maybe even months. She wasn't keeping track, she couldn't. She had no time, and it was always dark. Finally, another light came. Ginny didn't even bother to look up. She kept her head buried in her arms and waited for the person to past by like the others.  
  
Only this light didn't though. It paused before Ginny and waited for a long time. When she didn't look up, he said, "Ginny?"  
  
The voice was Harry's. Oh how glad she was to see him again. Her head shot up from her arms and she sprang up to cling onto Harry. He grinned at her, his emerald eyes staring at her deeply. But there was something else too.  
  
Ginny pulled away from him and backed away. His eyes were friendly; they didn't look her over as someone who would love her.  
  
The ground beneath her foot began to collapse. Her time in the dark phase has finally ended and it was time to give up. The earth shook with violence, breaking as ice would with too much weight on it.  
  
But she didn't mind, not her. She stood still and waited to plunge into more darkness or wherever it would lead her. The ground beneath her had disappeared and she began to fall. Harry was still there, he still overlooked her, but she didn't think he would catch her.  
  
Then she fell. She plunged from the surface into more darkness, but someone caught her. Ginny slowly opened her eyes to see who it was that was holding onto her wrist. And to her surprise, it was Harry.  
  
He had her firmly and he looked at her as if he wanted to save her, but then someone called to him from behind. It was Luna's voice. Ginny could still remember it, how could she not? It was filled with honey and so passionate, Harry turned around and forgot about her.  
  
His grip on her loosened and then he let go completely. Ginny gave a cry of surprise and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the worst. Was this what it felt like to have the end so near? So many things passed through her, so much memories and regrets.  
  
How she would never get another chance to speak to her family again, how she would never get her chance to graduate Hogwarts, and how she would never get a chance to thank Draco. But most importantly, how she would never get to see how much Draco has changed after the incident.  
  
"You won my heart, Ginny," a voice said in the darkness. "You wanted to play a game, and now you've won. My heart is yours, so take it."  
  
She began to feel her body fall. She could feel gravity pulling on her, but she didn't fall. Ginny opened her eyes slowly and looked up, but she didn't see who her savior was. All she saw was a dark form, radiating a color of such passion.  
  
"Draco?" she asked. Then she found herself back in the Hospital Wing. Nothing seemed to make sense and then she heard the sound of running footsteps. What was going on?  
  
Madam Pomfrey seemed to have heard her and came out of her office. "You're up dear," she said thankfully. "You've been asleep for months."  
  
The time shocked her. "Months?" she asked as if saying it out loud would make her believe it. "What happened to me?"  
  
The older woman looked at her with pity and turned away. "No one knows for sure," she answered. "I found you months ago outside in front of the Hospital Wing. You were so pale and I was afraid we were going to lose you, but we didn't."  
  
"How?" she asked.  
  
Madam Pomfrey handed her the cards that had been left by friends and family. "Well, to be exact, I wouldn't know. But something tells me you had something you were holding onto and something that was holding onto you. Someone."  
  
"Who?" she asked, reading a card left by Hermione and Ron. They were together, finally.  
  
The nurse didn't answer. She only handed Ginny another card and left her be. Ginny looked at the envelope and neatly scrawled on there was her name. She smiled absentmindedly and opened it.  
  
Inside was a card not bigger than her hands. Perfect cursive script read:  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Dear Ginny,  
  
.  
  
Sorry about everything you had to go through. None of it would have happened if I had prevented it from happening. You're safe and I'm glad. I have to tell you something. No, I have to confess something. To stop Tom Riddle, I had to use an Unforgivable Curse and I can't forgive myself for it. The mark of it being used hung high over the sky when we finally emerged from within the Chamber. No one knew it was me, but I can't take it anymore. I have to turn myself in; I have to admit to something that I did.  
  
You're probably thinking I'm crazy, turning myself in. But no, I'm not. If I didn't, it would make me as bad as Tom Riddle because I had brought you right to him too. That made me bad and to use an unforgivable curse makes me even worse. When you're awake, I wish you the best. Your life is back to normal now; nothing that happened in the past will ever be spoken of again. You have my word.  
  
.  
  
. It wasn't signed or anything and Ginny felt a tear rolling down her face. Why was Draco trying to be a hero? Didn't he know that he already was one?  
  
She gathered her things and left the Hospital Wing without Madam Pomfrey's permission. But then again, she wasn't hurt or anything.  
  
Her bare feet were cold against the stone floor. She walked as quick as her feet could carry her and then she was in front of the portrait of the fat lady in pink. "Quote?" she asked Ginny.  
  
"Just because everyone believes one thing doesn't mean you have to," Ginny said.  
  
The portrait swung open and Ginny stepped inside. The time must've been pretty late because the sun was down, but Harry was still seated in front of the fireplace. When he heard someone enter, he turned around, only to find himself staring at Ginny.  
  
Ginny gave him a small smile and stood where she was. She didn't want to talk to him, she just wanted to get to bed and rest. "Hi, Harry," she said quietly.  
  
"Hi," he answered though he did not get up from where he sat. "You're up, huh?"  
  
She nodded and stole a glance at the staircases that would lead her to her dorm. "I need sleep," she told him.  
  
"You've been asleep for months, Ginny," he said.  
  
She nodded again. "Harry, so much has happened. I need time to think."  
  
He thought about it and nodded too. "Okay, get to bed then. But you're feeling okay right?"  
  
Ginny didn't answer him, she walked up to bed, remembering what he did to her in her dreams. Would he really do that if the moment came to pass? Would he really catch her only to let her go afterwards?  
  
In her dorm, the other girls were asleep. She caught sight of Luna in the darkness and Ginny wondered if Harry loved Luna? She was pretty weird, but then again, she understood Harry in a way no one really did and there's a connection between that.  
  
Ginny put her things away and got into bed, but she didn't sleep. She spent the rest of the night thinking about everything that's happened, especially with Draco. When was he going to turn himself in?  
  
Then her mind slowly drifted off to the man in her dreams who caught her. Harry was her prince, but that man was her knight in shining armor. And if she had to choose between them two, she would choose the knight because she didn't believe in a prince. Only a knight.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
* * *  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Morning came the next day and Draco was right, everything was back to normal. Breakfast, classes, lunch, classes, dinner, and then homework. That was her schedule everyday in the past, and even now.  
  
All day, she hadn't caught sight of Draco, or no, she hadn't caught him to speak with him. She saw him at meal, but he wouldn't catch her eyes. He ate alone far from Crabbe and Goyle and when he finished, he made sure he was with a group of Slytherin so she would never get a chance to speak with him.  
  
In the halls, at times that she would usually walk pass him, she never saw him. It was like he avoided her like disease.  
  
Once, Ginny was with a group of her friends on Hogwarts ground and she had caught sight of him alone, but he walked by like he didn't know her. She watched him and he looked so lonely. He had his hands in his pockets and his eyes were so miserable.  
  
Maybe he avoided her because he didn't want to remember her. Because she was a Weasley and it would be dumb to befriend a Weasley since he was a Malfoy.  
  
Ginny looked away and joined her friends in their conversation, but what she hadn't notice was when she turned away, he turned to look at her. The same thoughts that had run through her head ran through his.  
  
He thought maybe she didn't want to remember what happened between them. He thought maybe she wouldn't want to befriend him because he was a Malfoy and he turned away again.  
  
She excused herself from her friends and went into the library. It was the only thing that would get her mind off of him. She opened a book she had been reading and began to read. It was about two people who were in love, but could not be together because of their wealth and who they were. She read the end of it, where they finally got to be together, but someone's talking took her attention away.  
  
On the next table, Pansy Parkinson was talking to Millicent Bulstrode about Draco. "I heard that he was the one who conjured the mark a few months ago."  
  
"How do you know?" Millicent asked.  
  
"The way I always do," Pansy answered simply. "I overheard him talking to Professor Dumbledore just a few minutes ago."  
  
Ginny stuck the book into her satchel and walked out as fast as she could. If Dumbledore believed Draco, he could be sent to Azkaban. She ran into Harry in the corridors and he stopped her, but she wished he would just disappear.  
  
"Ginny," he began when she walked right by him. "Ginny," he said again.  
  
Out of respect, she whirled around. "Harry," she said, pretending she was surprise to see him there. "Hi, I'd love to talk, but I'm kind of busy. Can't this wait?"  
  
He shook his head. "No, it can't. It's all over Hogwarts, Ginny. What Draco did to save you, everyone knows."  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
Harry nodded, his face grave. "If you don't go stand by him, stand with him, it's very likely he will join his father in Azkaban before today is over."  
  
"Who else is with them?" Ginny asked.  
  
"I don't know," Harry said, shaking his head but his eyes were concentrating. "I overheard a group of Slytherin talking and it seems Fudge is on his way too. They're in Professor McGonagall's classroom."  
  
Ginny nodded at him, thankful for his support. "But I don't get it, Harry. Why are you doing this?"  
  
He shrugged and grinned lop-sided. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I think I owe him one for saving your life." He paused and his lop-sided grin grew even lop-sided than it had been earlier. "For saving my sister's life. Besides, the quote for the month was right once again."  
  
Ginny smiled and left. Another quote that meant something to Harry, no surprise there. She walked even faster than she had before until she reached the door into Transfiguration. She paused momentarily, making sure she was ready for this. If she stepped in there, memories of what happened would have to be relived. Nightmares that have haunted her dreams would have to be replayed over and over again and she would have to be able to handle it. Was she sure she's ready for this?  
  
A determine look crossed her face and she turned the knob. He saved her life and she would help him. There's no turning back now.  
  
In there, Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk, her glasses on. She looked at Fudge sternly, but her gaze changed when Ginny entered. Professor Dumbledore was standing by the window, his hands held behind his back. When the door opened and closed, he didn't turn around. Fudge was sitting in a chair, and to her surprise, no one else accompanied him as they usually would.  
  
In front of Professor McGonagall's desk, Draco was sitting in a chair, his head held down to the ground. Professor Snape was standing not too far away and it didn't surprise her because he was always present when someone was in trouble.  
  
Draco knew she had entered because she watched as his body stiffened. He wouldn't turn to look at her and she didn't want him to because she wasn't sure what she would do.  
  
Ginny glanced about nervously and went to stand by his side. She held her hands together in front of her because it was all she could do not to touch him and pull him into a soothing hug.  
  
"Whatever he's told you, Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, Minister, there's a reason," she began. "He didn't do it because he was evil, he only did it because he had to. You see, I was taken into the Chamber of Secrets once again by," she hesitated.  
  
Draco still held his head to the ground. "By what, girl?" Fudge exclaimed.  
  
"Cornelius," Dumbledore said warningly from where he was standing. "Let the girl speak."  
  
Fudge's face turned bright red, but he said no more. Ginny smiled thankfully at the headmaster and he gave her the tiniest of winks. She looked at Draco's blonde hair, cast downward and found the courage to begin again.  
  
"I was taken down to the Chambers of Secrets by Blaise Zabini," she lied, knowing Draco had stiffened by her side again. "He was possessed by Tom Riddle as I- as I had been in my first year. He took me down there and he wanted me to stay with him. But I wouldn't because I didn't want to.  
  
"Draco was there because he had been patrolling the dungeons as he told me after he saved me and before I fell into my deep sleep," she said. "He was down there when he saw the figure of a student slipping out of the Slytherin common room and decided to follow and see if he was up to something suspicious.  
  
"As he had thought, he was correct. I- I was so worried for Harry that I snuck out of my dorm to go see him. I didn't know someone was watching me until they came from behind and took me down to the dungeons. Draco knew where they were taking me and got on his broom only to follow us down there.  
  
"He came from within the darkness and saved me, but Tom Riddle put me under a spell and I don't know what happened next," she concluded. "But I'm sure he only conjured the Unforgivable Curse because he knew it was the only way to kill Tom."  
  
Fudge scoffed and stood up. "And you expect me to believe this?" he asked. He laughed out loud and shook his head. "She lies," he announced.  
  
Ginny looked at him in disbelief and hatred flared through her. Oh, how she would love to murder him now. "I am merely telling the truth," she said, wondering how she was able to lie so well. "I've been speaking to Draco before this incident even happened and we've become, well, friends. You can ask around and they will tell you that he and I have been around each other as equal for quite some time."  
  
"It's true," Snape said, nodding his head. "I've seen Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley speaking as equal out on the Quidditch pitch. Even her brother has accepted him as a friend and did not start any trouble in which I am quite surprise."  
  
"Yes," Ginny said, nodding too. "The whole Gryffindor team had been out there too and they witnessed all this. He only did it because we were friends and he needed to protect me. If he hadn't done that, Tom Riddle would have taken me."  
  
"She has a point, Albus," McGonagall said to Dumbledore. "If he and she hadn't been friends, then why would he have saved her? Why would he have followed them down there? He only used the curse to protect her."  
  
"But no matter what, there is no excuse to using an Unforgivable Curse," Fudge said, outraged that they were going to excuse Draco just like that.  
  
Then Snape spoke, his voice booming through the room. "It was used for self- defense," he said. "True, there is no excuse for it, but Mr. Malfoy's father wouldn't be too happy with you sending his son to Azkaban would he?"  
  
Fudge's eyes widened, "are you threatening me, Severus?" he asked.  
  
Dumbledore smiled kindly, "no, of course not, Cornelius. There is no reason to threaten you when nothing's happened here but a boy trying to protect his friend, correct?"  
  
All the professors agreed. "This isn't over, Albus," Fudge said, leaving. He knew he had lost a battle that day and Ginny knew he would never give up until he brought Dumbledore down. "I'm not afraid of Lucius Malfoy."  
  
He ran out and Draco was free. The blonde boy looked up and gave all the professors a grateful stare, but he wouldn't catch Ginny's eyes. Finally, Ginny walked to Professor Dumbledore and the others.  
  
"Professors, thank you for your supports," she said. "Looks like my job here is done and I shall be leaving. Dinner is starting soon, I'll see you then."  
  
They nodded to her and she turned to leave. Ginny glanced at Draco, but he kept his eyes far from hers. Figures, she thought. It wasn't Malfoy manner to be thankful for something a Weasley did.  
  
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* * *  
  
.  
  
.  
  
. The next day wasn't too different from all the others ever since she returned from the Chamber. She got up from bed, got dressed, and went down to breakfast.  
  
Truth be told, she had expected Draco to tell her how grateful he was, how he would owe her everything. But he hadn't done that, he hadn't even glanced her way once. Ginny looked up in the direction he sat and sighed sadly.  
  
He was still Draco Malfoy and he hated her because she was a Weasley although they seemed to be on friendly terms a few days ago in the chamber. She was foolish to think he would acknowledge her as an equal.  
  
"You okay?" Hermione asked.  
  
Ginny looked back at her food and nodded. "I'm perfect," she lied.  
  
Hermione sighed and it was enough to tell Ginny that a lecture was coming. "Ginny, you can't pretend. I know what's up. Why don't you just go talk to him?"  
  
She shrugged.  
  
"We never mentioned this to you, but do you have an idea why it took you so long to wake up?" Hermione asked.  
  
Ginny shook her head.  
  
"You were under a spell where only your true love's kiss would awaken you," she said. "No one was able to do it. Collin tried when he woke, Michael did, and so did- well, you know. Anyway, no one knows whose kiss woke you up. It was late in the night when you appeared in the common room, Harry had said. Every boy at Hogwarts tried, except your brother, but every single one of them tried. The only person left was-"  
  
Ginny glanced at the Slytherin table again, but noticed that he wasn't there anymore. "Except, Draco," she said lightly.  
  
She didn't wait for Hermione to say anything else. She stood up and headed upstairs because where she was headed, she would need her broom.  
  
.  
  
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* * *  
  
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.  
  
.  
  
Ginny landed lightly on the island she had been on months ago. When her foot was firmly planted on the ground, she swung her other leg over the broom and searched for him. She knew he was there, he had to be.  
  
The wind picked up and carried the leaves in a draft. Ginny squinted her eyes against the wind and cut through the thick brushes in the direction that she had come across him. Where could he be?  
  
Then she spotted him, standing alone by the edge of the island. He was handsome with his hands clutched behind his back. The wind was rough, but it didn't disturb his blonde hair. Ginny stood just beyond his vision and watched a while as the wind ruffled his clothes and his cloaked billowed in the wind.  
  
He turned and glanced at her, but he turned back around as though hoping she would disappear. Ginny stayed where she was, hidden by the trees, but not quite that he wouldn't see her.  
  
Draco turned back and glanced at her, but she was still there. He smirked and turned back around, but he didn't say anything.  
  
Then he turned for the third time, peeking at her. "Still here," she said, coming from within the trees.  
  
"Didn't think you'd find me here," he said, the smirk still visible upon his lips. "I was kind of hoping you would stop trying to speak to me."  
  
"Why?" she asked, curious.  
  
He shrugged, studying the squid who was tapping its tentacles against the water surface, making ripples that broke the smooth surface. Draco bent down and picked up a smooth rock. He skipped it.  
  
"I'm sorry for the past," she said. "You were right. If I think about it, I think I was trying to save you from yourself. I think I was hoping that if I could get you to open up to me, you wouldn't have to face it alone."  
  
Draco skipped another rock. "You remember that day you came here and I had you by the arm?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"I would have dropped you," he said. "I wanted to because I knew that being who I was, I should. That's why I did, but I caught you again."  
  
"Why?" she asked once again.  
  
He still smirked, but he wouldn't look at her. "I don't know, to tell you the truth. I guess I didn't want you to plunge into water."  
  
"Or you just didn't want me to lose my trust in you," she said, raising her brows challengingly at him.  
  
Draco laughed. It was loud and disturbing, but she didn't flinch. "You don't even trust me," he said.  
  
It was her turn to smirk. She moved to the edge of the lake until it was he she was facing. "Want me to prove it?" she asked him.  
  
He was startle but said nothing. Ginny took that as a yes and leaned back, making sure she held his eyes. Backwards, she fell until she plunged into cold water. But instead of coming back up, she stayed beneath, watching Draco's face from beneath cold water.  
  
He was trying to pretend that he didn't care, but she could see the way his eyes were searching for her to surface. When she didn't, he threw off his shoes and his cloak and jumped in after her.  
  
Ginny couldn't suppress a giggle and laughed, but that only allowed water to enter her mouth. She closed it immediately and relaxed, pretending she had drowned.  
  
Draco saw her and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back up to surface. She loved the way he carried her when they were on land, and she loved the way he set her down, so carefully like she was a piece of fragile glass.  
  
She waited for the moment, the time when he would bend down and put his mouth to her, to breathe life into her. When he didn't, Ginny opened her eyes to peek and found him looking at her, his expression amused. "You don't think I believed you for a second there, did you?" he asked.  
  
Ginny shrugged and sat up. "I could still dream can't I?" she answered him.  
  
A grin began to grow on his face, but he looked away abruptly, his face hardening. It was like one moment, he was someone else, and then the next, he was cold and icy like he was years ago.  
  
"I don't get it," she confessed to him. "Sometimes, you look at me, Draco and sometimes you don't. Why is that?"  
  
He shrugged, shivering in the cold.  
  
"It's like sometimes you're afraid to look me in the eye," she said. Then a thought occurred to her and she looked away too. "It's because I'm a Weasley isn't it?"  
  
Draco still wouldn't look at her. So she had been right all along. He saved her in the Chambers, but that was all. He just wanted to be heroic, he never wanted her to be a part of his life at all. He had been so un-Draco- ish there and here, he was Draco again. Ginny shook her head in distress. "I keep inventing you, trying to make you into the guy I want you to be," she said, scoffing at herself. "I keep picturing you as a nice guy when I should just accept the fact that maybe you really aren't."  
  
His eyes hardened and he nodded at her, finally meeting her eyes. "Yeah, maybe you should just accept that."  
  
"Why do you keep fighting it?" she asked, standing up with her teeth chattering. "Why can't you just accept that you aren't as cruel as you seem to want everyone to see you?"  
  
"Because it's who I am!" he shouted, angry. "Merlin's Beard, Ginny, it's who I am so stop trying to make me someone I'm not." His voice softened and so did his eyes, but only a little. "There's a guy out there who's heroic and filled with so much love, you wouldn't be able to handle it, but that guys not me."  
  
Ginny picked up her broom and mounted it, but she turned back to look at him. "That's not who I want you to be," Ginny said softly. "It never was."  
  
"Wait," he said when she was going to kick off. "Look, I'm sorry for getting angry with you. I don't know, I'm just so confused."  
  
She didn't say anything nor did she fly off.  
  
.  
  
"Remember how you asked me if I've ever been in love?"  
  
She took interest in that and got off her broom again. "Yeah," she said.  
  
.  
  
"Well, I have," he said and the answer surprised Ginny. She had thought Draco's never been in love.  
  
.  
  
"Over the summer, I fell in love with a muggle," he admitted. "I liked her a lot, but seeing as she was a muggle, I could never let my family find out about her and I could never let her find out about my family, or who I really am. Anyway, at the end, she told me she's never really liked me and I was just her summer boyfriend. It hurt," he said, as thought surprised with the feeling. "I've always been the one to hurt someone, but she hurt me and I realized that I can't handle it. I don't want to."  
  
"Wow," Ginny said, mesmerized. Draco in love with a muggle? Who would have thought? "Must have hurt badly," she said.  
  
"I guess you've never been in love with someone who was in love with someone else," he said sadly, but his face was cold as ice. "I wouldn't be too surprise because you look like the kind of girls whom every guy you fall for falls for you first."  
  
Ginny looked at him surprised and laughed out loud. "You think so? Then you must be the first. Haven't you heard about Harry?"  
  
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.  
  
"Oh," was all he said.  
  
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.  
  
She nodded at him. "Yeah, oh," she said. "I'm an idiot, I fall for every guy who won't catch me."  
  
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He swallowed.  
  
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.  
  
"I dreamed while I was asleep, you know," Ginny said. "I saw every single boy who kissed me, I think anyway. They passed by where I was when I wasn't conscious, and every single one of them passed me by. Finally, there was Harry. He saw me and he caught me, but he let me go. It was then that someone else caught me and pulled me up. I think I know who it is, but I can't be too sure."  
  
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Draco looked at the ground and she slapped him against the head. He looked up, startled, "what was that for?"  
  
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Ginny grinned and shook her head at him, "you kissed me, Draco and you woke me up. But you ran away."  
  
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He looked away, his hands shoved into his trouser pockets.  
  
.  
  
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"Look at me," she instructed softly.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
. He looked at her lips and he licked his.  
  
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"Higher," she commanded.  
  
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He looked at her nose, observing the sprinkle of freckles.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
. "Higher," she said once again.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
. Finally, his eyes reached hers and Ginny's breath caught. He was beautiful.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
. "He said that I won his heart, so take it, but what if I won't take it because he's not giving it to me?" she asked him softly.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
. "What if he wants to give it to you, but he's afraid you just won't take it?" he asked, turning her question against her. "What's if he's afraid you love someone else? Do you love Harry, Ginny?"  
  
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.  
  
Ginny laughed and mounted her broom once again. This game with Draco was getting her hurt. She didn't think it would, but it was and she didn't want to play it anymore. She shot over her shoulder, "why not ask something I can answer? Why not ask if I love you?"  
  
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"Believe me, Ginny, it's the one question I want to ask," he paused to watch her hover in the air. "But it's the one answer I'm afraid to know."  
  
.  
  
.  
  
. She nodded and looked at him sadly before flying off. Draco left her twice, now it was her turn to leave him.  
  
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* * *  
  
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The next day, news of what happened in the Chamber was all over the world. Ginny watched Dumbledore's calm face, but she could see the way his eyes looked them over with weariness.  
  
Fudge knew he would never be able to get to Dumbledore unless he turned the people for Dumbledore against him and that's exactly what he did. A war was brewing because Voldemort is too big a threat and all seventh years were being recruited, even Draco.  
  
Ginny stood on the platform of Hogsmeade and watched them board the train, one by one. She hugged her brother, Hermione, and then Harry before they got on, but she didn't even glance in Draco's direction.  
  
Slowly, with tears sliding down her face, she backed up. What would happen to her friends? What if they died? She didn't know, but whatever it was, she hoped they would all return to her in a short amount of time.  
  
The train began to move and its pace began to quicken. Ginny watched sadly, unable to do anything. She watched as each face passed her by, their eyes grief-stricken. They were going to war, she didn't expect anything different.  
  
Then she saw it, the one face that she had longed to see and yet didn't want to. Their eyes locked for a long moment, each of them trying to conceal their emotions but all was plain.  
  
Ginny wanted to run after the train. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but what was the use? He might not return and her heart would only be left broken.  
  
The other students made their way up to Hogwarts, but Ginny lagged behind. She wasn't ready to enter that school again and return to her daily routine as if nothing had ever happened. She wanted to stay in the past and remember everything that had happened.  
  
Finally, she reached the Gryffindor's Common Room and gave the old quote for the previous month. When the fat lady wouldn't open up, Ginny realized that the month was new and so was the quote.  
  
She groaned and sank onto the floor, hoping someone would pass by soon and help her in. An hour passed and no one came in or out. Ginny stood to walk away, but the fat lady spoke, surprising her. "The sun sets at night, but it always rises the next day. Hope is lost but it is always regained."  
  
Ginny frowned, trying to comprehend what it meant. The fat lady laughed and Ginny's frown turned into a smile. She's never heard the portrait laugh before and hearing it now filled her with joy she hadn't had for quite some time now.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked.  
  
"It's the new quote," the fat lady said patiently and swung open. If she had seen the words forming in Ginny's mouth she didn't say.  
  
Ginny walked through the quiet and empty common room. What would happen to the seventh years? What if they didn't return?  
  
She made her way upstairs and found the other sixth year girls in bed. She didn't speak a word to them because she couldn't trust her voice. She was afraid that if she tried, she would only end up bursting into tears.  
  
The curtains were pulled tightly around her and she relaxed in her bed, trying to block out the sobs of a tearful roommate. Her eyes were also closed that's why she didn't notice the letter on her bed until night fell and the only light she had was candlelight.  
  
No one went down to dinner; no one cared much about it anymore. The others were still in the room and they were asleep, or maybe not because she could still hear sniffling. Ginny opened the letter and lit her wand to brighten the light so she could read. When had it gotten there? It could have been there ever since the morning.  
  
Ginny opened it and there in neatly scrawled letters like the card were words written for her; words put together from someone's heart.  
  
You are the last in your family, the last to be noticed, and the last to be recognized, but you are the first to win my heart.  
  
Like before, there was no signature. Ginny held the letter to her heart and a tear leaked down her face. She was the girl who won Draco's heart.  
  
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. But didn't take it.  
  
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.·:*´¨`*:·..·:*´¨`*:·. The End .·:*´¨`*:·..·:*´¨`*:·. 


	6. The Sequel

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
Summary: Sequel to The Girl who Won Draco's Heart. Darkness won the war that Draco was called off to. Ginny Weasley is in jail, accused of being a deatheater. Now, a hooded figure pays Draco one million galleons to break her out. Draco needed the money for the refugee camps, so who was he to refuse? Now, both the dark side and light side are after them and the only way they'll win is if both of them work together as they had two years ago. But the ending isn't as expected because there is a twist that not even Draco knew about.  
  
A\N: Another story. I'm just putting it in here so you know it's updated, but the rest of the story will be placed in it's own story. Either just look up my pen name or for The Price of a Hero. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review.  
  
The Price of a Hero  
  
Ginny's Prologue  
  
The camp was as dead as any graveyard. Dark clouds hovered high overhead as if promising a storm and wind tore through the thin materials of their black robes. The tents that they would be living in weren't very promising, but she was sure that once inside, it would fit them all.  
  
Mud filled the paths that they walk upon, footprints embedded deep into the earth so as not to ever forget who has walked there. Trees surrounded them, bending down low to them as if to conceal them from enemies' eyes. An enchantment was put on the camp by the best wizards they could find, to hide the camp, but everyone knew it wouldn't hold for long. By the end if that month, they would have to search for new grounds to camp.  
  
Ginny Weasley looked at the grief-stricken faces of the people who had been there ever since the war began and dread racked through her. None of them were familiar, how would she be able to live among strangers for the rest of the year?  
  
The war has been going on for one year now. What they thought would only last a few weeks turned into months, and then a year already passed. That time last year, Ginny was just a sixth year, watching the seventh years go off to war, but she was a seventh year now and it was the sixth years who watched them go out to war.  
  
She entered the small tent that couldn't have been made for more than two people, but once inside, she found enough room to bed at least ten people. Everyone settled into their places, everyone choosing the bed nearest the end. She looked around and threw her things on a bed right by the entrance, seeing no point in walking any farther.  
  
Ginny sat on the bed with a gruff sigh and jumped back up when the springs poked her. This couldn't get any worse. She groaned and began pulling out the necessary items she would need that night. Her mum had packed her an extra blanket but now it wasn't with her. Someone took it when she wasn't watching.  
  
She would have sat on the bed again, but decided against it and settled on the floor, dropping her head into her arms. She was a million miles away from home and she didn't even have her blanket to comfort her.  
  
"This is war, it wasn't made to be comfortable," someone said. Ginny looked up but found the other people attending to their business, none giving her their slightest attention. She frowned and looked into a corner far darker than the others. There was a bed hidden there, one that used to be right in front of hers.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked wearily, staying seated on the floor.  
  
The man didn't say anything nor did he step out from the darkness. Ginny sighed. "You sound like you've been here for a long time, maybe even ever since the war first started. Tell me, do you have any idea where Ron Weasley or any of his friends might be?"  
  
There was silence, but then he answered. "None here, I can say," he said gruffly. "They're all in the other camp, far off on the south side. There are two camps, one on the north side and the other on the south. Your brother and the others have been sent there only a few days before you arrived."  
  
Ginny frowned and stood up, dusting her behind of the dust that's gathered on the floor over time. She walked to his bed, trying to see in the darkness because his voice sounded so familiar. "How long have you been here?" she asked, afraid to know the truth.  
  
"One whole year and for as long as I can before I'm killed," he said coldly.  
  
She took an intake of breath and stepped back, knowing she knew who he was. "Who are you?" she asked cautiously.  
  
He scoffed and the familiar sound rang through her ears, taking her back in time when she always heard that noise. Could it possibly be? Could he still be alive?  
  
"You wanna know who I am?" he asked, taking one step from the corner. "Are you sure you can handle it?" he took another step and she could see his shoes. "War's change too much of me," he said, taking a step yet again. She could see his body, now. Only his face was still shrouded in darkness. "I'm not the same person anymore," he said just above a whisper. Then he took the last step until she could see his face.  
  
Ginny's breath caught and she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. It couldn't be possible that he was here, could it? He was right; a lot of him has changed. His gray eyes were clouded, sad like he's seen too much. A scar the length of an inch ran through his eyebrows, giving him a dangerous image and it took everything of Ginny's not to pull away.  
  
Slowly, she reached up a hand and ran it over his scar, her eyes locking with his during the process. He closed his eyes as if it's her touch he had been waiting for all his life and when she took her hand away, he opened his eyes in disappointment.  
  
"What happened to you, Draco?" she asked, searching his eyes. She tried to take his hands, but he pulled them away, glaring at the floor at her feet.  
  
"We can't do this," he said. "We couldn't do it then and we can't do it now." He picked up his bag of clothing and left the tent. Ginny looked after him with obvious longing, but she turned away.  
  
Later that day, there was an attack on the group of witches and wizard who were patrolling the creek. The captain in charge of the camp issued a group of volunteered to head down there and help them out. Ginny was one of the volunteers.  
  
A\N: Actually, to tell you the truth, I wasn't going to do a sequel. I was going to write four chapters and finish it without having to worry about it again. Then a story came to my mind and I thought instead of writing a different one, why don't I just connect them. So I did and even if I wasn't, it would have still been a sad ending. I was going to make it that their conscience always won their heart and they never made an attempt to continue their relationship. Anyway, thanks again for reviewing and I'm sorry to not have the ending you were hoping for ~ a happy one. I promise at the end of the story, it will be a happy one, if not they're together. And I would gladly hit Draco and Ginny once again for you Crimson Mist, but I still need them in the story so therefore it will wait. lol. As soon as I can. 


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